Inmarsat will make its entry in the Indian market via Indian state-run telecommunication establishment BSNL (Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd), post the latter receiving a license from the Department of Telecommunications of India.
London-based satellite telecommunication corporation, Inmarsat Holdings Limited said it is perhaps the first ever foreign satellite operator to receive India’s nod to sell high-speed broadband to planes as well as shipping vessels.
Inmarsat will make its entry in the Indian market via Indian state-run telecommunication establishment BSNL (Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd), post the latter receiving a license from the Department of Telecommunications of India, as confirmed by the British satellite operator on October 20, 2021.
As reported by Bloomberg, Inmarsat has signed deals with Indian airline service provider Spicejet Ltd together with the Shipping Corp of India Ltd, as disclosed by CEO (Chief Executive Officer) Rajeev Suri. The satellite operator used to offer reliable but low-data L-band services in India; however, with the new license, it will be capable of delivering much faster 4G-like “Ka-band” broadband on its GX network.
Inmarsat’s connectivity is accessed from satellites operating in geostationary orbit. However, it is expected to compete with the likes of low-earth orbit satellite operators including Elon Musk-owned Space Exploration Technologies Corp as well as well-known Indian telecommunication establishment, Sunil Mittal’s OneWeb.
Founded in 1979, Inmarsat is a British satellite operator offering mobile services globally. It delivers telephone and data services to users from all round the world, through portable terminals communicating with ground stations via 14 geostationary telecommunications satellites. The London-based telecommunication company’s network offers communication services to a wide range of customers including governments, media companies, aid agencies, and other businesses involved in shipping, airline and mining segment. The establishment was a London Stock Exchange-listed company until it was acquired by Connect Bidco Ltd in December 2019.
Inmarsat additionally offers some advanced services in its “BGAN Family” which is a set of IP-based shared-carrier services. These advanced services include BGAN (Broadband Global Area Network) for use on land, FleetBroadband (FB) offering maritime services, and SwiftBroadband (SB) offering aeronautical services.
Millions of Indian consumers and businesses are swamped onto the internet, and businesses are competing to provide related services.
Indian state-owned telecom service corporation BSNL was in the spotlight when IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw made the first call over an Indian 4G network of the company on October 10, 2021. Reportedly, the development in the state-run corporation evokes the roll-out of the technology by the company. The planned roll-out is anticipated to be a turning point for BSNL in the regard of its survival post the government’s disapproval to privatize the company which also deferred the company’s proposal to upgrade its 2G and 3G networks to 4G.
The company is struggling to sustain in the Indian marketplace which is why it was asked to come up with best plans in the current market; however, the lack of 4G offerings has restrained the establishment’s chance of revival and left it behind.
