Hughes continues to be no1 in India VSAT market

NEW DELHI: Broadband satellite network and services provider Hughes Communications India (HCIL) has maintained its number 1 position in the Indian VSAT market, with its subscriber numbers crossing 102,606 as on March 2015.

According to telecom regulator TRAI, it recorded an all-time high cumulative market share of 43.42% among VSAT service providers in India.

"The government’s financial inclusion program has given a major boost to drive banking systems growth across the nation and we see sustained growth as well in e-learning and e-governance. Broadband satellite solutions are ideal for businesses that need high-quality and always-on data, voice, and video connectivity virtually anywhere, and which terrestrial networks cannot always deliver, especially in remote locations. Because satellite offers a true alternate communications path it is also ideal as vital backup for organizations that cannot risk outages due to the vulnerabilities of terrestrial networks,” said Partho Banerjee, President and Managing Director, Hughes Communications India Limited (HCIL).

A significant portion of HCIL’s growth over the last year has been the result of a strong upswing in the banking sector’s retail expansion (ATMs) linked to the Prime Minister’s financial inclusion mission, a release said.

The company has secured contracts from Bandhan Bank in partnership with FIS, Axis Bank and Bhartiya Mahila Bank, while additionally rolling out white-label ATMs for TCPSL (Tata Communications Payment Solutions Limited), BTI Payments and Muthoot group.

In the past year, it has collaborated with the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD), a partnership that saw Hughes rolling out an e-governance project for Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) in 468 blocks across the country.