For those of you wondering, the Telecom Engineering Centre or TEC which is the technical wing of the DoT or Department of Telecommunications recently decided to remove technical barriers which, when in place were inhibiting the antenna sizes, satellite service speeds as well as the usage of spectrum bands, resulting in the optimal deployment of modern satcom technologies.
Why Are The New Rules Important
The new rules will also allow for easy deployment of smaller antennae systems that will basically reduce the space required by a satcom operator as well as power and cost elements in turn resulting in making satellite broadband services more affordable. As per a statement by the President of Broadband Forum India, Mr TV Ramachandran, the new and modernised specifications announced by the government will result in the removal of erstwhile restrictions which also inhibited the use of modern satcom technologies, as well as help, deliver significant benefits to end-consumers by way of high capacity, high-speed broadband, and better quality services. These developments come at a time when Bharti-backed OneWeb and SpaceX Technologies by Elon Musk are preparing to launch high-speed internet services in India by next year by making use of their respective low earth orbit (LEO) global satellite constellations. As per the new rules, the DoT’s technical wing has allowed for the deployment of satellite broadband, broadcasting services on the high-capacity Ka-band apart from the traditional C & KU bands. The easing of the standards is also in a bid to complement the DoTs probable decision that will allow VSAT satcom providers to offer satellite backhaul connectivity to telcos who can make sure that mobile broadband coverage can be provided to consumers living in both rural and remote areas. Once this is approved, major telcos such as Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio will be able to make use of satellite backhaul solutions provided by VSAT operators to provide both 4G and 5G services as well as Wi-Fi-based fast broadband services in rural regions that lack mobile towers and fibre networks.
