NEW DELHI: There is a huge opportunity for the satellite communications or SatCom sector to connect the unconnected primarily in rural and remote regions, a top International Telecommunication Union (ITU) official said.
“Big opportunities lie ahead for the industry, including connecting the unconnected especially in rural areas. As we look to the future, collaboration will be vital across industries, regulators, governments, regional and international bodies, especially the ITU,” said Malcolm Johnson, Deputy Secretary General, ITU at the virtual launch of SatCom Industry Association (SIA-India), a non-profit body.
Johnson said that there are an increasing number of satellites being deployed around the world with a surge in demand for the valuable spectrum and orbital resources.
“Satellites help save lives in emergencies, provide critical knowledge about our planet and climate, and enable a range of solutions for digital, financial services, better healthcare and smarter cities. The satellite communications industry has a major role to play in using satellites to accelerate progress in these areas and all the other areas of the UN Sustainable Development Goals,” the official of the UN agency said.
Delhi-based SIA-India represents satellite operators, launch vehicles and ground and terminal equipment manufacturers as well as application solution providers.
“Over the last few years satellite communication have emerged as the emerging technology to address issues of providing connectivity to rural, remote and hilly areas in education, health, agriculture and business,” VK Saraswat, Member, NITI Aayog said, and added that that new age companies and private organisations venturing into the business of satellite communication.
Industry estimates suggest that the satellite communication equipment market worldwide is likely to grow from $22,948.46 million in 2020 to $34,512.96 million by the end of 2025.Rakesh Sasibhushan, Chairman, ANTRIX Corporation said that satellite communication domain is now in the process of being deregulated.
“This is a promising area for business since around 70% of the revenue generated by the space industry is through SatCom. India holds great promise for consuming this service as the services become more and more freely available and prices become competitive,” Sasibhushan added.
Early this month, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) released a consultation paper and sought views from the stakeholders since the tariff of satellite broadband services continues to remain high in the country.
The development has come on the backdrop of Bharti group and the UK-based OneWeb consortium, and Elon Musk-headed SpaceX Technologies interest to enter into satellite communication business in India.
