Viasat has highlighted the need for regulatory clarity and coordinated policy action to safely scale advanced air mobility in India’s complex and densely used airspace. Participating in a roundtable on Advanced Air Mobility, at WINGS INDIA 2026 scheduled from January 28 to 31, 2026 at Begumpet Airport in Hyderabad, managing director, Viasat India underlined the critical role of satellite communications in enabling safe and reliable advanced air mobility operations in India.
The roundtable witnessed industry leaders, policymakers and ecosystem stakeholders discussing the infrastructure, regulatory and technology enablers required to transition advanced air mobility from pilots to real-world deployment.
Commenting on the announcement, managing director, Viasat India, said, “Viasat provides mission-critical strategic services to the government of India and the defence forces, including support for strategic aero platforms. We also connect maritime vessels, provide connectivity for aviation, and deliver enterprise connectivity solutions. With over 35 years of experience in aviation, we are the only company providing connected aircraft services that span safety services, including Classic Aero, which has been approved by the DGCA as a safety service. We also offer safety-swift broadband, which enhances safety while improving efficiency in crew operations, alongside in-flight connectivity solutions in the cabin to enhance passenger experience.
When it comes to advanced air mobility, we see significant potential in India. However, there are a few areas where support from the DGCA will be important. One critical aspect is that Indian airspace is extremely dense. Ensuring coexistence between crewed and uncrewed aircraft is essential for safety, and this requires satcom services that can support beyond visual line-of-sight operations.
We have been engaging with the Ministry of Communications and the Wireless Planning and Coordination (WPC) Wing regarding getting L-band as a safety service for AAM. Our request to the Hon’ble Secretary is to collaborate with the Department of Telecommunications and formally confirm L-band as a safety service so that it can be used by UAVs and advanced air mobility platforms for safety and navigation purposes. This would support command and control functions as well as data links.
To conclude, L-band offers extremely high reliability, close to 99.999 percent. Given the sensitivity of space-related operations, I would also like to highlight that we have authorisations from IN-SPACe for fifth and sixth generation satellites over India, and we have established infrastructure within the country in coordination with the Department of Telecommunications. Our core ask is clarity on the use of L-band as a safety service for advanced air mobility.”
