Reliance Jio and SES’s joint venture, Orbit Connect, has received critical landing rights and market access authorization from the Indian National Space Promotion & Authorisation Center (IN-SPACe). Orbit Connect is majority-owned by Jio (51%) with SES holding the remaining 49%. IN-SPACe has granted the necessary approvals for Orbit Connect to offer commercial services in India. The company is now seeking trial spectrum from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) in the ‘ka’ and ‘ku’ bands to conduct advanced trials of its nationwide satellite broadband network with key clients.
The report highlights Orbit Connect’s optimism in obtaining the trial spectrum soon to proceed with the trials. With this authorization, Orbit Connect becomes the second company after Bharti-owned Eutelsat OneWeb to receive such approval from IN-SPACe.
The entry of Orbit Connect is set to intensify competition in India’s private satellite broadband sector. Besides Orbit Connect and Eutelsat OneWeb, Elon Musk’s Starlink and Amazon’s Project Kuiper are also eyeing the Indian satellite broadband market. OneWeb has faced delays in securing regulatory approvals from the government due to security concerns.
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OneWeb India Receives Regulatory Approval to Launch Commercial Satellite Broadband Services
As the Indian government prepares to allocate or auction commercial spectrum for satellite services, Eutelsat OneWeb and Orbit Connect are poised to compete in the market. A current debate in India centers around whether spectrum should be allocated administratively to satellite companies or via auction. The Supreme Court of India has already rejected the government’s plea for administrative allocation of the spectrum.
