They added that the company has received approvals from the department of telecommunications (DoT) for setting up two satellite gateways: one in Mehsana (in Gujarat) and another near Chennai. “OneWeb has received all in-principle approvals from DoT to rapidly deploy satellite ground infrastructure, including the two gateway earth stations in India in the run-up to launching satellite broadband services later this year,” a senior company executive told ET.
The UK-based low-earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellation operator wants to use the full ‘Ka’ spectrum band (27.5 to 29.1 GHz and 29.5 to 30 GHz) to operate its gateways and the ‘Ku’ band (14 GHz) for its satellite user access terminals (UATs) in India. It is counting on early administrative allocation of these airwaves from the government.
“OneWeb’s satellite broadband services can go live in India as soon as spectrum in the Ka/Ku bands is allotted, ideally through the administrative route,” the executive cited, added.
But the mode of allotment spectrum for satcom is key to launch of services. International satcom players, including OneWeb, have all backed the administrative route, while telecom operators Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea (Vi) want an auction.
In a recent submission to the telecom regulator, OneWeb has said success of its mission in India depends on efficient and interference-free use of the entire ‘Ku’ and ‘Ka’ bands for the UATs and gateways, respectively. Partial access to these airwaves, it said, could hinder end-to-end connectivity, network performance and user experience. The UAT is a key piece of satellite gear needed to deliver high-speed satellite broadband services to end users.
OneWeb said its GEN-1 satellite design entails access to the entire ‘Ku’ and ‘Ka’ bands, and in addition the full Q/V bands (37.5-52.4 GHz) would also be required for its gateway links once the GEN-2 (satellite systems) come into service in about five years.
OneWeb has a GMPCS (global mobile personal communications by satellite services) permit required to roll out satellite internet services in India. It plans to deliver low-latency, high-speed broadband services to populations currently underserved by traditional terrestrial broadband solutions, especially in rural and remote areas with limited or zero access to high-speed internet.
It also expects to soon have the necessary authorisations, including landing rights and market access clearances from the space services regulator, IN-SPACe.
