Eutelsat OneWeb is ready to begin satellite communication operations in India, with its infrastructure in place and final government security clearances still pending, the company said on October 8. The company said spectrum allocation and regulatory processes were progressing, while its India network would support terrestrial connectivity rather than replace it.
Neha Idnani, regional vice-president for Asia Pacific at Eutelsat OneWeb, said the company was confident that its regulatory and licensing work with the Government of India was nearing completion. “We are fully ready from an infrastructure standpoint to go live,” she said, according to Business Standard.
The company’s proposed services are expected to target connectivity gaps in locations where fibre or other terrestrial networks are technically difficult or commercially unviable. Idnani said the potential use cases included remote hinterlands, aviation and maritime operations, as well as backup connectivity during disasters.
Eutelsat OneWeb operates primarily on a business-to-business model, but the company said the ultimate beneficiaries would include consumers in villages and other unconnected parts of the country. Its approach is to extend the reach and resilience of existing terrestrial networks through satellite connectivity.
“Today, we believe satellites should be an extension to terrestrial networks and not a replacement of terrestrial networks,” Idnani said, adding that India’s terrestrial backbone was strong and should not be displaced by satellite systems.
The comments come as satellite communication providers seek regulatory approval to expand services in India. The company said spectrum allocation and security clearance processes were moving smoothly, but did not provide a specific date for the commercial launch.
Idnani also described direct-to-device connectivity as a potential future application rather than a current focus for the company. She said tariffs for such services would depend on geography, customer segments and individual markets. Eutelsat OneWeb is evaluating the use case, but it is not part of its current constellation, she said.
On defence and security applications, the company said it had localised data in India and built physical infrastructure within the country. Idnani said Eutelsat OneWeb had secure, encrypted infrastructure and service-level agreements relevant to defence use cases. She also cited the company’s active communications networks in Ukraine, Korea and Taiwan.
The company’s next operational milestone is the completion of the remaining government approvals, after which it intends to begin satellite communication services in India.
