Hughes and ISRO launch India's first HT satellite broadband service

Hughes Communications on Monday announced the commercial launch of India's first High Throughput Satellite (HTS) broadband internet service.

The service will provide high-speed satellite internet across the country, including in remote locations that are unserviceable by terrestrial networks, using Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)'s GSAT-11 and GSAT-29 communication satellites.

The service supports applications such as WiFi hotspots for community internet access, managed SD-WAN solutions, backhaul for mobile network, and satellite internet for small businesses, the statement said.

"With the new HTS capabilities powered by ISRO satellites, we are confident that HCI will continue to deliver excellent quality satellite broadband services and further enhance the connectivity experience that accelerates India's digital transformation," ISRO chairman S Somnath told reporters here.

Shivaji Chatterjee, Executive Vice President and business head, Hughes Communication India (HCI), said the HTS service was launched a year ago in northern parts of the country, including in the frontier areas of Galwan valley in Ladakh.

He said the nationwide commercial launch came after the government came out with a policy to use shared infrastructure gateways. Chatterjee said the initial HTS broadband service will begin with internet speeds between 2-10 Mbps (Megabits per second).

"This new broadband service will address connectivity gaps, improve network performance, and support the high bandwidth requirements of government organisations, financial companies, cellular operators, mining and energy companies, among other businesses," Partho Banerjee, president and managing director, Hughes Communications India, said.

The Hughes HTS service is using Ku-band transponders on GSAT-11 and GSAT-19 for the high bandwidth data transfers.