Satcom: Viasat Seeks Govt. Approval to Start Satellite Broadband in India

Viasat Inc is set to become the 4th satcom player to enter Indian space after OneWeb, Starlink and Amazon. The satcom provider has applied for approvals to the government. The company will also deploy two new satellites to deliver broadband connectivity solutions in India from space.

Viasat to Enter India's Satcom Space

Last year, FM Nirmala Sitharaman said that the government would create a level playing field for private satellite builders, launchers and service providers. She said the government plans to create a new space communications policy, which would ring in a more predictable regulatory regime.

In a written response to ET, a Viasat spokesperson said, “we have filed applications with the Indian government and relevant agencies, seeking authority to use two of our Ka-band ViaSat-3 satellites – currently under construction – to serve India, and we look forward to the opening of the Indian market to these advanced broadband connectivity solutions".

This move comes at a incredible time for India's satcom market. Right now, Starlink has already launched pre-bookings and OneWeb is eyeing a commercial launch next year. Amazon is looking in as well with its $10-billion Project Kuiper.

In India, Viasat has offices in Chennai. There, its staff is already working on satellite access platforms and gateways. Also, Viasat employees are developing web applications and management systems for its products and broadband businesses.

Struggle Over Airwaves

Here comes the sticky bit. Viasat was one of the companies that opposed giving the mmWave band to telcos. The company now said that its satellites will run on the 28 GHz band. The spokesperson also said that proper deployment depended on "continued access" to these airwaves. They also said that Viasat remains "optimistic" that the Indian government will not auction any part of this band.

This might comes as bad news to local telcos operators Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea, who have been pushing the government to auction half of these high-value airwaves for 5G.