Satcom: Delivering Broadband Anywhere and Everywhere

Satellite communications offer a viable, cost-effective method to power India’s digital dreams. An enabling policy and a regulatory framework is the need of the hour that ensures technology neutrality and provides a level playing field

By TV Ramachandran

The world is flying high on data! Demand for video content delivered over the internet has witnessed a significant increase, in both urban and rural areas. Data consumption increased 400% in rural India in the last 12 months. There is an ever-rising thirst for data, especially video. Demand for quality data connectivity and ubiquitous availability across the nation clearly underlines the importance of augmenting and utilising the most potent and effective means for delivering broadband to the masses.

One must also note that although India has more than 820 million internet connections with about 780 million of them being broadband, it is estimated that unique broadband subscribers are probably below 500 million.

While tremendous efforts have been made to bring fiber connectivity to all our villages, there have been immense challenges for the roll-out. We need to therefore look at all alternative options and technologies for high-speed broadband.

One such option is Satellite communications. It offers a viable, cost-effective method to power India’s digital dreams. Indian Government’s plethora of initiatives in the last year and a half have aimed at strengthening and liberalising this sector.

Satcom has already played a major role in transferring data collected through navigational and observational satellites in industries such as public safety and agriculture. Going forward, Satellite internet could be a blessing for the rural/remote areas, where providing terrestrial connectivity is a challenge -both in terms of feasibility and cost. This is simply because Satellite connectivity is not associated with challenges of Right of Way or deployment costs of fiber and towers in inhospitable terrains. It is estimated that the cost of providing terrestrial connectivity in rural regions shoots up by almost 10-20 times, making it economically unviable for terrestrial technologies to reach the last 20% of the population.

The present satellite penetration in India is extremely low, at only 0.3 million subscribers (ICRA).

Moreover, the present satellite penetration in India is extremely low, at only 0.3 million subscribers (ICRA), and that too, is all for enterprise use, with the common man unable to derive the benefits of Satcom technologies. This is low compared to the higher numbers in other economies (1.6 million in Asia mostly China, 2.6 million in the US, and 1.1 million in Europe).

One must also note that although India has more than 820 million internet connections with about 780 million of them being broadband, it is estimated that unique broadband subscribers are probably below 500 million. This is because of multiple connections with one subscriber. Moreover, the majority are concentrated in urban areas. Thus, there remains untapped potential in rural and semi-urban India. It is estimated that satellite communications will add about 1.5-2 million users by 2025.

This will come from overcoming the challenges of connecting difficult and diverse topographies. Satellite technologies can bypass geographical barriers. They are a better option for connecting remote locations such as the Andaman and Nicobar Islands or the mountainous Himalayan regions of North East or Northern India.

Satellite systems can provide internet connectivity even on the oceans or in the sky, places that are unreachable through terrestrial technologies. Satcom is the most reliable network in case of natural disasters. Satellites being unaffected by the disasters that terrestrial networks are vulnerable to, such as cyclones, floods, and earthquakes, provide this ingredient of resiliency and backup to networks.

In terms of planning, during a disaster, early response, rescue, and disaster management is very important. Satellite communication plays a major role in these situations where communication infrastructure on the ground is damaged, in helping to provide reliable and secure communications at the right time, ensuring timely action, and reducing casualties.

Further, we realised the importance of telemedicine and Tele-education during this pandemic. There have been reports of children being unable to attend online classes due to a lack of connectivity in their remote villages. Satcom can act as an effective medium in bringing affordable digital connectivity to such unserved populations.

In digital healthcare too, Satcom can play a role. Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) launched by the Hon’ble PM, for example, aims to develop the backbone necessary to support integrated digital health infrastructure in the country by bridging the existing gap amongst different stakeholders of the Healthcare ecosystem through digital highways. Therefore, it is important that such key digital services are facilitated by the government through various measures to reach the unconnected. Satellite connectivity will definitely help in this cause.

The use of satellites for communication in transport networks, including logistics, will offer ample growth opportunities for the market. The increasing use cases and adoption of the Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) have paved the way for Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS). ITS allow users to track vehicles and enable freight operators to share and receive information promptly. Using satellite communication for transportation will enable seamless and continuous transmission of data between the vehicle and the transport hub, filling the gaps of the terrestrial networks.

Aeronautical and Maritime connectivity would, of course, continue to be an important evolving space for Satcom applications. Moreover, as 5G is expected to cater greatly to agriculture, manufacturing, and other segments, a majority of the operations are to be logically based in non-urban/semi-urban locations for better cost-efficiencies, made possible by the availability of seamless and reliable bandwidth there. Satcom will play a major role in providing both connectivities as well as backhaul services to networks for these crucial sectors.

Several sectors can derive rich benefits from this technology, as is being analysed and predicted globally.

Satellite systems can provide internet connectivity even on the oceans or in the sky, places that are unreachable through terrestrial technologies.

For example, a $256 billion connected car market is forecasted globally by 2023, rising at a market growth of 31% CAGR (KBV research). More importantly, though, the connected vehicle market – cars, trains, farming and mining equipment, airplanes, and ships – will require continuity of service and connectivity far beyond the reach of urban 5G networks, the kind that only satellite connectivity can provide.

Liberalised Satellite communications will lend a cost-effective and reliable alternative to Digital inclusivity and will help bridge the country’s digital divide.

We need an enabling policy and a regulatory framework that is technology-neutral provides a level playing to ensure that Satcom helps fulfill our progressive national goals.

Ramachandran is Hon. Fellow, IET (London) and President, Broadband India Forum

Views are personal

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