India’s digital revolution has made some remarkable milestones in the previous decade but still a huge gap exists in terms of linkages between urban and rural. There are still a lot of millions in the remote villages and mountainous areas who wants to deal with the slow/reliable internet access. This is where the role of satellite internet India comes in – a technology that promises to aid in bridging the digital divide, if it managed to bring high speed connectivity to every corners of the country, no matter how remote that area is.
With likes of Starlink, OneWeb and Amazon’s Project Kuiper on top of the worldwide news along with Indian firms joining in the race, satellite internet access is set to be a game changer for the access of data, internet and digital accessibility in India. This article digs deep into a walkthrough of what exactly satellite internet is and the benefits offered, challenges faced and the future of satellite internet India in the connected ecosystem.
What Is Satellite Internet?
Satellite internet is a wireless broadband internet service delivered by the internet through satellite, in orbit around the earth. Unlike fiber optic internet or mobile that uses physical wires and towers in terms of propagation of the data, for data transmission in Satellite internet we use a satellite through which the data is beamed from a ground station or a satellite in the space to the internet terminal at the ground.
When the user clicks on a webpage or a video streaming is sent, the request is traveled all the way from their dish and goes to a satellite and to the ground station which is attached with internet backbone how the signal came This whole process takes place in the blink of an eye and makes connectivity extremely smooth – even in the most remote of areas.
What’s the state of Satellite Internet?
Satellite internet is operated in different kinds of satellites orbits constituent of the following salient advantages:
1. Geostationary Orbit (GEO):
Satellites which are in GEO orbit is at 36,000 Km. height from the earth. They remain fixed into an over one position that, so give a wide coverage, but a larger latency (delay). Traditional providers such as HughesNet and Viasat, conjure GEO satellites.
2. Medium Earth Orbit (MEO):
Located from 8000 and 20000km above earth, MEO satellites have low-latency and better system performance when comparing them with GEO systems.
3. Low Earth Orbit (LEO):
LEO satellites (used by Starlink, OneWeb, and Amazon’s Kuiper) operate at altitudes of 500–2,000 centimetres and deliver much faster internet speeds with significantly lower latency, comparable to fibre internet connections.
Using hundreds or thousands of small satellites in LEO, companies are able to use a constellation of satellites to provide coverage around the globe and constant connectivity.
Major Players Active in Satellite Internet Market in India
The role of the globe and local companies in the growth of the same includes the Indian satellite broadband landscape which is fast changing.
1. Starlink (SpaceX)
The LEO race of satellites has been put at the forefront of Elon Musk with Starlink. After a bit of teething issues caused by the regulation Starlink hopes of bring the services to india soon and they have a goal of 100-200Mbps with low latency.
2. OneWeb
Backed by Bharti enterprise and government of UK, Oneweb has started 600+ satellites and intends to provide services in entire india through the caught up with Bharti Airtel. OneWeb is targeting enterprise, government and rural connectivity solutions.
3. Amazon’s Project Kuiper
Amazon’s mission in taking over the Indian market, is to make use of thousands of LEO satellites. With its powerful cloud and e-Commerce ecosystem, Kuiper has the potential to wake up and to be able to potential to create digital infrastructure at scale.
4. Hughes Communications- India
A long player in the indian satellite communication space, Hughes has already, and is already there providing broadband service into the remote spaces and tied up with isro and one web for being able to achieve more of the same in the near future.
5. Jio satellite communication (JioSpaceFiber)
Reliance Jio revealed its foray into satellite broadband under the name of JioSpaceFiber to provides cheap internet connectivity in a remote area as relying on indigenous satellite system research of India.
6. ISRO and In-Space
India’s space ministry, ISRO support towards initiatives in the field of satellite internet through programmes like, GSAT, and In-space board which remove the tough functioning of public-private plays in space technology.
Benefits Of Satellite Internet In india
The possible benefits of satellite internet on the socio economic development of India are mammoth :
1. Universal Connectivity
Satellite internet can get high speed connection to every(nosy and) corner of the country including rural and tribal area where connection by fiber network can not be reached.
2. Rapid Deployment
Unlike fiber which require months to develop, satellite internet require to develop fast, can be accomplished with very little hardware, an dish, modem & the clear sky view.
3. Disaster Resilience
In case of floods, cyclone or earthquakes”, “when the work of terrestrial networks were damaged, the satellite networks function typically and are able to maintain the situation in emergency communications.
4. Improving Education and Healthcare
The reliable availability of internet connectivity offers more opportunities for e-learning, telemedicine and remote diagnostics. It provides more opportunity for access to digital information for the rural learner and sufferer to access previously unavailable digital information.
5. Economic Growth
By connecting the SMEs and Entrepreneurs in the Remote Areas, the satellite internet is creating the opportunities for fresh lines of e-commerce, Digital banking and online job.
Challenges and Limitations
While satellite internet is a huge potential market, there are a number of issues which are prospect needs to overcome for acceptance in India:
1. High cost of equipments and services
User terminals (dishes and modems)/ subscription fees are currently quite high for those of the general population as compared to the traditional broadband options, and hence affordability is a major problem.
2. Regulatory Approvals
Cumbersome licensing processes and spectrum allocation policies can slow things down – for example when it comes to deployments. The government is attempting to relax such regulations.
3. Latency and Sensitive to Weather
Although LEO satellites provide superiority in terms of minimum time delay, the negative effect of great rainy or cloudy condition may cause the signal disruption during the temporary period of time.
4. Space Debris and Sustainable Development
The launch of thousands of small satellites raises concerns about space congestion and debris management due to the increased use of microwave frequencies. And a strict coordination globally is something that needs to be.
5. Problems with Power and maintenance
Uses in rural installations have its own set of needs of reliable power sources and technical back up to perform maintenance, scope of which requires more investment in India.
Conclusion
Satellite internet is not only an advance in technology, but we should say that it’s an instrument for social transformation in India. By providing reliable and fast connectivity to hardest to access parts of the country, it helps millions gain access to education, healthcare and intake of information and economic opportunities.
While issues surrounding cost, regulation and infrastructure remains future orders. However, Agencies are paving way for inclusive digital growth with all – quick advancements in satellite constellations, public-private partnership and policy support.
Essentially, satellite internet is the way of India and India’s future. Its hope to a connected future on a grand scale – where geography is not a significant factor to someone’s opportunity any longer and digital access to the internet is a basic human right for everyone.
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