The company has collaborated with India’s state-owned service provider, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), to sell services in the country. The operator received the Inflight and Maritime Connectivity (IFMC) license from the Department of Telecommunication. This license allows BSNL to provide Inmarsat’s satellite services to aviation and maritime companies.
This arrangement means that Inmarsat will easily sell services to the government sector because, typically, these departments use state-owned service providers.
Inmarsat has signed deals with SpiceJet Limited, a domestic airline company and the Shipping Corporation of India Ltd, according to media reports. The company already offers L-band services in India, and the new license now allows it to provide faster 4G-type Ka-band broadband on the GX network.
Knocking at an open door
India is recording a massive surge in data consumption, especially because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It also accelerated the digital transformation of enterprises. Even so, there are still more than 750 million unconnected people in the country.
A combination of these factors means that there is a massive opportunity for satellite players, like Inmarsat, in India. Satellite connectivity providers hope to address this gap. For this reason, India has attracted several, including OneWeb and Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
Inmarsat is also planning to launch seven Global Xpress (GX) satellites over the next three years. GX is Inmarsat’s solution for in-flight connectivity. The GX gateway for India will be located at Ghaziabad in the state of Uttar Pradesh.
It is only recently that India has allowed airline carriers to provide in-flight connectivity.
Source : Light Reading
