Page 8 - Satellite

Trai to finalise satcom spectrum allocation norm suggestions by Dec 15

Telecom sector regulator Trai is likely to finalise its recommendation on proposed rules related to spectrum allocation for satellite communications by December 15, an official said on Monday. The government will evaluate recommendations of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) and thereafter decide on allocating spectrum to satellite communication companies, which will pave the way for satellite-based broadband services in the country. "Trai is working to submit a recommendation on satcom spectrum assignment by December 15. There were several points raised during the open house discussion, some of which were beyond the consultation paper. Those points also need to be looked upon," an official source said on condition of anonymity. Last week Trai concluded an open house discussion on the terms and conditions for the assignment of spectrum for certain satellite-based commercial communication services. Telecom service providers like Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel want ...

Satellite spectrum: Jio, Airtel bat for restricted validity of 3-5 years

Elon Musk's Starlink and Amazon's Kuiper have proposed the 'shared spectrum' be given to them for 20 years

RIL lobbies for India satellite spectrum auction in clash with Starlink

Billionaire Ambani runs India's biggest telecom company, Reliance Jio. Analysts say a spectrum auction, requiring much more investment, would likely deter foreign rivals

Recommendations on satcom to be brought out soon: Trai Chairman Lahoti

Trai's recommendations are expected to clarify allocation methodology, frequencies to be used, spectrum pricing, and terms&conditions that satellite operators must meet concerning national security

Japan launches world's first wooden satellite, LignoSat, into space

Japanese researchers have launched LignoSat, the world's first wooden satellite, aiming to test the viability of timber as a sustainable material in space

World's 1st wooden satellite, built by Japanese researchers, heads to space

Named after the Latin word for "wood", the palm-sized LignoSat is tasked to demonstrate the cosmic potential of the renewable material as humans explore living in space

Japan launches defence satellite carried by new flagship H3 rocket

Japan launched a defence satellite designed for information-gathering and military operations on a new flagship H3 rocket on Monday, as the country seeks to build up its military capability amid growing tension in the region. The H3 No. 4 rocket lifted off from the Tanegashima Space Center on a southwestern Japanese island. Everything went as planned and the satellite placed at the top of the rocket was successfully separated about half an hour after liftoff, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, said in a livestream. JAXA will give further details about the launch later Monday. The rocket is carrying a Defense Ministry satellite, Kirameki No. 3, which uses X-band communication for military operations and reconnaissance, including information-gathering for signs of North Korean missile activity. X-band satellite is less affected by weather conditions and is capable of supporting stable communication. Kirameki No. 3 adds to two earlier X-band satellites already in ...

Companies may require fresh licence for providing satcom services in India

Existing licence-holding satcom players unsure whether new authorisation would be automatic

Nasa sat clicks stunning 'Sea Smoke' over Antarctic Glacier. What is it?

Nasa's Landsat 8 satellite captured ghostly plumes of "sea smoke" on October 10 that rose over Antarctica's Pine Island Glacier. Here's all you need to know about it

Why telcos fear trouble if Starlink gets spectrum at administrative prices

GSMA research reveals that only 1 per cent of India's population is unconnected or has no coverage. Domestic telcos say that is too small a market to make a business case

Satellite images show damage from Israeli attack at 2 Iranian army bases

An Israeli attack on Iran damaged facilities at a secretive military base southeast of the Iranian capital that experts in the past have linked to Tehran's onetime nuclear weapons programme and at another base tied to its ballistic missile programme, satellite photos analysed Sunday by The Associated Press show. Some of the buildings damaged sat in Iran's Parchin military base, where the International Atomic Energy Agency suspects Iran in the past conducted tests of high explosives that could trigger a nuclear weapon. Iran long has insisted its nuclear programme is peaceful, though the IAEA, Western intelligence agencies and others say Tehran had an active weapons programme up until 2003. The other damage could be seen at the nearby Khojir military base, which analysts believe hides an underground tunnel system and missile production sites. Iran's military has not acknowledged damage at either Khojir or Parchin from Israel's attack early Saturday, though it has said the assault kil

Protect key frequency bands used for satellite communications: Industry

The satellite-communication industry has urged the government to protect the key frequency bands used by them, particularly the Ka and Ku bands, from being allocated to terrestrial services. The Satcom Industry Association of India has also asked the government to reserve the 27.5-28.5 GHz band exclusively for satellite services, instead of transferring it to IMT (International Mobile Telecommunications) for flexible use, in line with global practices. "Any reduction in satellite bandwidth will not only double the gateway requirements but also increase operational costs for satellite operators, ultimately affecting end-users. We must prioritise the preservation of these frequency bands for satellite-communication services to avoid unnecessary financial burdens," Subba Rao Pavuluri, president, SIA-India, said in a statement. The industry body has also proposed specific frequency ranges in the Ku and Ka bands for the NGSO-based Fixed Satellite Services (FSS). SIA-India represents maj

Isro to launch electric propelled satellite in Dec: Chairman Somanath

India will test its home-grown electric thrusters to steer satellites to its desired orbit, a technology that promises to make spacecraft lighter and pack more punch, in December. Delivering the Sardar Patel Lecture at Akashvani, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman S Somanath said the first Technology Demonstrator Satellite (TDS-01) using indigenously developed electric propulsion will be launched in December. The TDS-01 will also demonstrate indigenously built traveling wave tube amplifiers (TWTAs) that are integral parts of various communication and microwave remote sensing payloads on satellites. A four-tonne communication satellite carries more than two tonnes of liquid fuel which is used to fire thrusters to steer it from the launch orbit to the desired geostationary orbit. These thrusters are also fired to keep the satellite in the desired orbit, if it strays due to atmospheric drag or as a result of a pull due to the gravity of the sun and the moon. "A four to

4,300 tonnes of space junk and rising: Satellite breakup adds to woes

The Intelsat 33e satellite provided broadband communication from a point some 35,000km above the Indian Ocean, in a geostationary orbit around the equator

Trai releases consultation paper on satellite gateway authorisations

In the latest paper, Trai has asked whether there is a need to review the eligibility conditions for the existing SESG authorisation, which was recommended in 2022

Satellite 'magic bullet', offers chance to cover areas left out: Mittal

Satellite communications is a "magic bullet" to cover dark unconnected areas, Bharti Chairman Sunil Mittal said on Monday, adding that players now have a great new opportunity to leverage satellite connectivity to cover remote areas that have so far been left out. Speaking at the NDTV World Summit, Mittal said that nearly two billion people in the world are still not connected to the internet, and in the Indian context too there are areas -- large swathes of desert, forests, coastlines -- where neither mobile networks, not fibre is feasible. "For those areas you need satellite communications, and that, to my mind, offers now a great source of new opportunities for us, mobile operators, or telecom operators, to put that in a mix and start to cover areas which are still left behind," Mittal said. About five per cent of India's population sans internet connectivity lives in 25 per cent of the area, he said, emphasising that satellite is the only solution for them. "India provides a ve

2 satellites part of space docking experiment handed over to Isro

Hyderabad-based Ananth Technologies on Friday handed over two 400 kg class satellites to ISRO, which will be part of the Space Docking Experiment planned by the space agency later this year. The satellites will be launched onboard the PSLV-C60 mission slated for a December launch and considered a stepping stone for future missions such as the Indian space station and Chandrayaan-4 mission that aims to bring lunar rock and soil samples back to earth. The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) rocket for the mission is also being built at a facility of Ananth Technologies Private Limited (ATL) in Thiruvananthapuram. The satellites were handed over at ATL's facility at KIADB Aerospace Park in Bengaluru in the presence of M Shankaran, director of ISRO's U R Rao Satellite Centre. "This achievement is a testament to ATL's vision and commitment towards India's space sector," said Dr. Subba Rao Pavuluri, chairman of ATL. Pavuluri said ATL has been manufacturing electronic subsystems for th

Musk's win on satellite spectrum raises prospect of price war with Ambani

The Indian government says its decision to allocate spectrum administratively to whoever applies for it is in line with global trends

BSNL, Viasat claim successful trial of direct-to-device satellite services

Satellite communications company Viasat, Inc has claimed to have demonstrated direct-to-device satellite connectivity in India for the first time in collaboration with state-owned telco BSNL. The direct-to-device connectivity allows commonly-used devices like mobile phones, smart watches, or cars; industrial machinery and transport operators to connect seamlessly to both terrestrial and satellite coverage without the need for dedicated hardware to connect to satellites. "In the trial, Viasat demonstrated two-way messaging and SoS messaging using a commercial Android smartphone enabled for non-terrestrial network (NTN) connectivity. The messages were sent roughly 36,000 km to one of Viasat's geostationary L-band satellites. The outcome proves satellite services to cell phone connectivity is technically feasible for Indian consumers and businesses using Viasat's satellite network," Viasat said in a statement. The company said working alongside partner BSNL, Viasat engineers successful

No auction for satellite spectrum; Trai tasked with pricing strategy

At a time when 5G and 6G telecom services are a critical discussion point for their use cases or lack of them, satellite communication has divided industry players