On September 12, 2022, Hughes Communications India, a joint venture of US-based Hughes Network Systems and Indian telecom operator Bharti Airtel, in collaboration with ISRO, announced the launch of its first high throughput satellite (HTS) broadband internet service in the country.
Throughput, in technical terms, is a measure of how many units of information a system can process in a given amount of time. In the present context, higher throughput refers to higher data processing and transfer capacity compared to conventional satellites, utilising the same amount of orbital spectrum. HTS offers a higher bandwidth, because of which the amount of data that could be transferred between a satellite and a ground station is increased compared to conventional communication satellites or fixed satellite service.
The technology in HTS offers high-speed, low-latency internet beamed from satellites. Instead of one bandwidth per frequency, HTS enables one to get five to 15 times bandwidth per frequency. It is also more affordable than other services. With the new HTS service, broadband connectivity will be extended to the remotest locations, difficult to reach otherwise, and this would create economic opportunities to boost the local economy, as Dr S. Somnath, Secretary, Department of Space, and Chairman, ISRO, said. The HTS is available countrywide, but is going to be especially useful in catering to remote areas in Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, and the Northeast.
The HTS service was launched in 2021 in select areas in the northern parts of India, such as Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, and Himachal Pradesh, where difficult terrain often prevents the establishment of physical, terrestrial connectivity. The nationwide commercial launch came after the government came out with a policy to use shared infrastructure gateways.
The HTS from Hughes Communications India combines Ku-band capacity from ISRO’s GSAT-11 and GSAT-29 satellites with Hughes JUPITER Platform ground technology to deliver high-speed broadband. Both GSAT-11 and GSAT-29 satellites also carry transponders in Ka-band frequencies, but the Hughes HTS service will use only the Ku-band for the high bandwidth data transfers. It is reported that the company has applied for the use of higher frequencies on the Ka-band with India’s nodal space technology body, Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe). However, Ka-band frequencies face higher interference from obstacles such as rain and forest cover.
The HTS service has the capacity to offer internet connectivity bandwidth of up to 100Mbps, but initially the service will have an average bandwidth of around 10Mbps at up to 2GB data per day, since the markets being targeted by the company required such speeds.
Applications that will be supported by the HTS service are Wi-Fi hotspots for community internet access, managed SD-WAN solutions, backhaul to extend mobile network reach, and satellite internet for small businesses. Besides, the high bandwidth requirements of government organisations, financial companies, cellular operators, companies in the mining and energy sectors, and other businesses, will also be served. The HTS support will connect the networks of enterprises and government. Multiple spot beams across the country can be created by the HTS. (Spot beam in satellite communications terminology means a satellite signal that is concentrated in power. This allows it to cover only a limited geographical area on Earth.)
The company is already providing assistance through HTS services to the Indian Army and the paramilitary forces patrolling the Line of Actual Control (LAC) on the India-China border (including the Galwan region) and other remote border outposts.
In the meanwhile, the Elon Musk-run SpaceX has decided not to continue with its affordable internet project Starlink in the country.
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