The need for digital connectivity has never been more pressing. The pandemic has changed the work ethos and day-to-day lives of people across the globe. Although India has already made a giant leap in the digital world, there is still a long way to go to connect the unconnected. Most of the remote areas are still not on the internet despite India being the fastest growing mobile market in the world. One part of India has been abuzz with the launch of 5G services, while the other is oblivious to the internet revolution. This is where satellite communication (satcom) services could fit in and bridge the digital divide that exists in the country, giving way to the government’s vision of creating a digitally connected India.
As per a report by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), there is 93 per cent broadband penetration in urban India, versus a mere 29.3 per cent in rural India. Many of these areas are marked by a rugged terrain, making it difficult to use terrestrial technologies to enhance telecom connectivity. Over the years, telecom players have been trying hard to expand internet coverage to every nook and corner of the country, but the high expansion cost and setting up towers in far-flung areas are not feasible. To this end, satcom could provide last-mile connectivity, which will also lower down costs for service providers. In the coming years, satcom services in India are all set to witness an influx of investments from global players as well as local companies.
Key initiatives
The government has recognised the importance of satcom and has been pushing for its adoption to connect unconnected rural areas. Key government initiatives such as the BharatNet project and the National Broadband Mission aim to scale up satcom connectivity in the country. Private stakeholders too are keen to explore the satcom opportunity to bridge the digital divide. The following are the key developments in the space of government programmes…
BharatNet project
The BharatNet project is being implemented in a phased manner in India to provide broadband connectivity to all gram panchayats (GPs). The government has chosen satcom as one of the means for connecting the hinterland under this project. Satellite is being used as a medium to connect remote and inaccessible locations, where laying of optic fibre cable (OFC) is either not possible or not economically viable. In fact, the BharatNet satcom network is India’s first true high throughput satellite (HTS) network, deployed end to end, providing over 30 Mbps service to each location.
Under this project, about 5,519 GPs located in remote and hilly locations with poor connectivity are to be connected over satellite media, so as to provide broadband connectivity to these GPs expeditiously. As of July 2022, a total of 177,550 GPs have been already made service-ready, including 4,394 GPs connected through satellite. In Jharkhand, 2 GPs have been made service ready on satellite media out of the 10 planned GPs. Further, in Odisha, 22 GPs have been made service ready on satellite media out of the 43 planned GPs. Also, 15 GPs have been planned on satellite media in Andhra Pradesh.
Besides, Hughes Communications India has been selected by Bharat Broadband Nigam Limited (BBNL) and Telecommunications Consultants India Limited to provide satellite connectivity to 5,000 remote GPs. Hughes India will enable internet service for each GP, using capacity from the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) GSAT-19 and GSAT-11 satellites with Hughes’ JUPITER System, which is in use at more than 40 satellites worldwide. Moreover, BBNL has piloted its satellite-based internet services in hilly and remote areas of Arunachal Pradesh. However, details regarding a commercial roll-out as well as tariffs of services will be drawn up after the project is piloted in more states. Costs, however, are expected to be economical and a shortage of revenue for implementing agencies will be plugged through the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF).
National Broadband Mission
The National Broadband Mission, launched in December 2019, is also a project that aims to leverage satellite-based connectivity for communicating with rural areas. One of the objectives under the mission is to work with the Department of Space to make adequate resources available for extending connectivity to far-flung areas of the country through satellite media. To this end, the government has established the National Broadband Mission Directorate to ensure the time-bound meeting of countrywide broadband connectivity expansion targets as part of its efforts to bridge the digital divide.
Other measures
The government has launched a high capacity satellite-based telecom connectivity for Lakshadweep islands, commissioned by Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL). Through the USOF, under the Department of Telecommunications, the government will be funding the project. Meanwhile, BSNL has already started the project for doubling the satellite bandwidth from 1.71 Gbps to 3.46 Gbps, and laying of submarine OFC between Kochi and Lakshadweep islands.
Role of geostationary satellites
From a practical standpoint, satellite is the optimal solution for wireless network deployments in rural, remote and hard-to-reach areas, where sparsely populated, geographically dispersed communities live, work and play without access to the internet. The most obvious is the ubiquitous reach of satellite. Geostationary satellite networks provide ubiquitous coverage to 99 per cent of the world’s populated areas. Owing to the ubiquitous nature of geostationary satellite networks; distance, topography, even the line-of-sight restrictions of microwave are not constraints when providing backhaul connectivity to hard-to-reach areas. Also, as the satellite coverage is everywhere, communication service providers can connect any number of rural and remote wireless sites in far less time than while using fibre or microwave.
Today’s advanced geostationary satellite networks are being leveraged to quickly and economically bring 3G/4G and Wi-Fi services to rural and remote communities for the first time. For example, a leading mobile operator in Uganda is providing connectivity to hard-to-reach communities, enabling access to mobile money services and education for primary schools. Mobile network infrastructure companies such as Africa Mobile Networks, for example, are using satellite backhaul to work with mobile operators to deploy solar-powered cell sites that provide voice and data services to millions in sub-Saharan Africa for the first time. Meanwhile, small rural and remote communities in countries such as Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia, Nigeria and Zambia are now able to use mobile phones for the first time where they live, work and play. Besides, projects are under way in many countries such as Rwanda, where solar-powered Wi-Fi service backhauled over satellite is providing schools with access to quality educational programmes.
Issues and challenges
Despite its advantages, satcom technology has several disadvantages compared to cable and fibre internet. Satellite-based internet is much slower compared to its cable counterpart. Satellite internet also has higher latency, which means that the time it takes between sending and receiving signals is higher. It is also costlier than cable and fibre internet. However, the latter is not standardised, which means that data rates differ across countries. Besides, weather conditions might disturb satellite services, but the disruption might be faint.
Meanwhile, from a regulatory point of view, satcom growth in India has faced several hurdles due to the rigid regulatory structure and system that discourages free market forces from entering the satcom market. Besides, the satcom sector could face some security-related challenges, especially if it is being seen as a key connectivity channel to meet the demands of 5G backhaul and internet of things. An increase in the deployment of satellites will make them more prone to cyberattacks, compromising sensitive information, with potentially devastating consequences. Of late, it has become relatively easier for hackers to purchase and operate hacking equipment. It is much easier to aim an antenna at a satellite and send communication to it. Therefore, it is critical that a level of trust be established between earth-bound devices and satellites.
The way forward
Net, net, satcom technology seems to be a good bet for providing internet services to the remotest geographies. However, despite its various applications and uses, satcom remains a fringe technology for communications, especially considering its long gestation time from design to execution, as well as the relative difficulty of upgrading the satellite payload once deployed in space. In India, the industry seems to be warming up to the idea of leveraging satcom services to scale up rural connectivity. That said, there is still a lot that needs to be done to connect every nook and corner of the country. Although the industry is at its nascent stage, it possesses the potential to revolutionise connectivity across rural India.
