India’s first High-Throughput Satellite (HTS) broadband service was launched on the 12th of September 2022 Monday with the support of ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation). Hughes Communications India Private Limited (HCI), a leading provider of broadband satellite and managed network services, announced the commercial launch of the HTS service at a huge event held in Le Meridien Hotel, New Delhi.
S Somanath, Chairman of the ISRO, Partho Banerjee, President and Managing Director of HCI, and Shivaji Chatterjee, Executive Vice President, HCI, were some of the prominent people who attended the event.
Why is the high-throughput satellite broadband service a big deal?
HCI provides satellite broadband across more than 2 lakh business and government sites across India, to support enterprises as well as strategic central and state government projects. In use on more than 75 satellites, the Hughes JUPITER System is the de-facto standard for both high-throughput and conventional satellite implementations worldwide. Since last year, the company has been testing its operations for high-throughput satellite broadband service in the northern parts of India.
The company has promised to deliver high-speed satellite broadband service to remote locations across India from the desolate part of Leh- Ladakh to the northeastern part of India through the first high throughput satellite (HTS) broadband internet service.
The new broadband service will support the high-bandwidth requirements of government organizations, financial companies, cellular operators, and mining and energy companies, among other businesses, large and small, helping to connect India to a limitless future.
HCI’s HTS broadband service will combine Ku-band capacity from ISRO’s GSAT-11 and LSAT-29 satellites with Hughes JUPITER Platform ground technology. Ku-band is a microwave frequency band used for satellite communication and broadcasting and uses frequencies of about 12 gigahertz for terrestrial reception, and 14 gigahertz for transmission. By combining Ku-band capacity from ISRO’s satellite with Hughes technology, high-speed broadband can be delivered across India, including the most remote areas which are beyond the reach of terrestrial networks.
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Addressing the launch, Isro chairman S Somanath said, “With the new HTS capabilities powered by Isro satellites, we are confident that Hughes will continue to deliver excellent quality satellite broadband services and further enhance the connectivity experience that accelerates India’s digital transformation. At Isro, we are committed to exploring and expanding the ways we can work with the private sector to help improve people’s lives and bridge the digital divide.”
Shivaji Chatterjee, senior vice-president of Hughes India said that the company was truly in essence with the Make in India initiative. He mentioned “Of course the satellite is Indian. However, under Hughes India, there are a lot of products made in India including Reliance Jio, the entire system, the outdoor modem, etc. are made in India. The antenna and the dishes are completely made by the company in India. The Indian Oil and SD-WAN projects are also made in India.”
Conclusion
The launch of the service is a big deal for India in terms of the growth opportunities in the technological field and economic development that it offers.
