Open Satellite Services To World Players

VSAT Service Providers Association (VSPA) yesterday urged the government to throw open the satellite communications industry to foreign satellite providers and set up a regulatory authority on the lines of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India.

Sanjeev Nikore, president, VSPA, said the association would present a white paper to the Department of Space next week, asking it to set up a regulatory body that would facilitate the growth of the "much neglected industry".

He said the monopoly of the Indian Space Research Organisation in providing transponders for VSATs had choked the industry which was once growing at 150 per cent per annum.

 

"Today there is a demand for at least 24 transponders while Isro is providing only 12 transponders. Even in the newly-launched Insat 3B, which has a capacity of 12 transponders, Isro has allotted only four. The inability of Isro to cater to the increasing demand of VSAT operators should prompt the government to allow `a second provider' to the operators," he said.

Speaking on the second day of the seminar on VSAT and Internet service providers, organised by Exhibitions India, Nikore said: "There is a plethora of foreign satellite providers who are keen to enter Indian sky space including PAS 4, Singapore Telecom, LMI (98), Intelsat and most of these have twice the capacity of Insat 3B. Their entry will revolutionise communications in India."

Isro had earlier said it was prepared to act as just a "catalyst" and allow Indian firms to manufacture, operate and own satellites.