OneWeb and Telesat have started taking the initital steps needed to commence their operations in India.
To this end, OneWeb has begun building two gateways needed to connect the internet to a satellite network, and Telesat has announced that it will soon conduct trials in India using its low orbit satellites.
OneWeb plans to begin operations in India by mid-next year, provide backhaul services to telecom operators, like Airtel, as well as distribute services to enterprise clients and government agencies through partnerships with broadband service providers like Hughes.
As for Telesat, it will be completing its constellation build by 2024 and providing global network services. As per industry sources, Telesat is in early-stage conversation with players such as Vodafone Idea, Jio and Hughes.
Government policy that is fundamental to their operations has yet to be announced. This includes clarity regarding whether 28GHz can be shared by satellite players and operators as well as the allocation of satellite spectrum. OneWeb has already started building its gateways in strategic locations to avoid interference from future 5G base stations, in the event the government decides to share 28GHz between satellite and telecommunications companies.
