Ajit Karn
India will play a significant role in the global launch of OneWeb’s satellite broadband services, according to Sunil Bharti Mittal, executive chairman of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite communications firm OneWeb, which launched 36 Internet satellites into space on Sunday using India’s most powerful ISRO rocket.
“India plays a significant role in the global introduction of OneWeb’s services. With the launch of our services, tens of thousands of user terminals will be required, and India will become a major manufacturer of these terminals, especially since Chinese terminals are unlikely to be accepted in the majority of the world, Mittal told reporters today.
The telco magnate and Executive Chairman of OneWeb was speaking after a Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (LVM3) rocket carrying 36 OneWeb broadbandsatellites towards’ Low Earth Orbit lifted off from India’s Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh’s Sriharikota. (LEO). Bharti Enterprises is OneWeb’s largest investor and shareholder.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced that all 36 spacecraft had been successfully deployed to an orbit approximately 450 kilometers above the surface of the Earth. With this launch, the London-based company successfully orbited its first-generation LEO constellation, allowing it to launch its global broadband from space services.
Mittal stated that he is in talks with space authorities to identify Indian companies capable of producing user terminals on a larger scale. The executive chairman of the LEO satellite company stated, “I am in discussions with the Indian space authorities to determine which Indian manufacturing companies can begin producing user terminals for OneWeb.”
Mittal added, “Two OneWeb ground facilities are being established in India, one in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, and the other in Vadodara, Gujarat. Both stations will be operational by June or July.”
“It will take approximately three months to place the satellites in their final orbit,” he added. “Everything will be in place by July.”
He continued, “I’m currently testing and experiencing in-flight connectivity of approximately 138mbps down-link and 25mbps up-link, which is likely faster than 4G cross plus or the actual 5G bandwidth. This in the sky is available on airplanes and is progressing.”
“Three days ago, we presented the defense authorities with a very compact, lightweight terminal that can be carried in a knapsack. It takes approximately three minutes to connect to OneWeb’s network,” Mittal told reporters.
He added, “We have also tested our terminals on ships, and they operate effectively.”
“OneWeb is presently operational in fifteen countries, and numerous user cases are being developed. Canada, Alaska, Greenland, and the United Kingdom are included. We have more than 145 active studies and cases, and our monthly commercial revenue is in the millions of dollars,” he claimed.
Mittal stated that the OneWeb merger with Paris-based Eutelsat is in its final phases, and that Mittal will resume its position as co-chair and become the company’s largest shareholder.
“We are currently awaiting the Indian space policy,” he continued.
Mittal elaborated on OneWeb’s satellite mission and their intentions to launch their services as soon as the government’s space policy is implemented.
“Our tariffs won’t be as low as India’s. Mittal stated, in response to a question about the pricing of OneWeb’s services, that “we hope to match the prices of mobile services offered in western countries.”
Bharti-backed On Sunday, OneWeb, a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite communications company, confirmed the successful deployment and contact of 36 satellites launched by NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), the ISRO’s commercial branch, from Sriharikota’s Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC-SHAR).
The launch occurred on Sunday at 9 a.m. The satellites of OneWeb successfully separated from the rocket and were distributed in nine phases over the course of 1 hour and 14 minutes, with signal acquisition confirmed on all 36 satellites.
This brings the entire fleet of the London-based company’s first-generation constellation in orbit to 618. These satellites are essential for the corporation to provide broadband Internet coverage to any location on Earth from space.
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This was OneWeb’s 18th launch and third this year, increasing the total number of satellites in its constellation to 618. OneWeb officials have stated that the satellite constellation will facilitate a global connectivity solution by the end of this year.
