Satellite internet to be reality soon: Jio Satellite, OneWeb get licences

Both companies now have pan-India Internet Service Provider (ISP) licences, essential for delivering internet connectivity through satellite or mobile networks, especially at homes and offices

Jio Satellite Communications and OneWeb, backed by Bharti Enterprises, have received licenses from the government to provide broadband internet services to end-users using satellite, according to a report by the Financial Express (FE). Both companies now have pan-India Internet Service Provider (ISP) licenses, which are essential for delivering internet connectivity through satellite or mobile networks. The licences, along with clarity on satellite spectrum allotment, pave the way for the commercial rollout of satellite-based internet services.

Licences and regulatory requirements

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has already granted OneWeb and Jio Satellite the global mobile personal communication by satellite services (GMPCS) licence that is required to offer satellite-based broadband services in India. The ISP licences will allow the firms to now provide broadband services to end users at their homes and offices.

While Jio Satellite received its ISP license a month back, OneWeb was given the ISP A (national area) and very small aperture terminal (VSAT) licences on Wednesday. VSAT, with its data transmission capabilities, plays a pivotal role in delivering broadband internet services, especially to homes and offices. VSAT is a device equipped with an antenna commonly used for transmitting/receiving data, voice, and video signals. It often serves as a connectivity solution for banking/ATM machines in rural areas and provides backhaul connectivity for cellular mobile services.

Having obtained GMPCS and ISP licences, Jio Satellite and OneWeb are poised to commercially deploy their satellite-based internet services. The final step involves clarity on the allotment of the satellite spectrum.

Reliance Jio Infocomm previewed its satellite-based broadband services, JioSpaceFiber, at the India Mobile Congress on October 27. With the service, Jio aimed to provide high-speed broadband services to previously inaccessible geographies within India. Jio said the service would be available across the country at highly affordable prices.

At the same event, Bharti Airtel Chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal announced that OneWeb had completed its constellation of over 618 low earth orbit satellites. This would reportedly allow it to offer broadband internet services from space in every corner of the world.