Canadian firm Telesat and Nelco, a company of Tata group, are all set to kickstart commercial satellite communications services jointly by 2024. The prime focus will be to offer affordable tariff for business-to-business (B2B) customers in a developing market - India. Already, there rivals including US-based SpaceX and UK-based OneWeb are all set to launch in the country.
As per ET Telecom, Nelco's managing director and chief executive officer (CEO) PJ Nath stated that they want to partner with Telesat. By the latter half of 2024, they will jointly provide satcom services in India. Also, it was added that the prices of its satcom services have not been finalised and they are discussing the same.
In 2020, both Telesat and Nelco joined hands on areas including terrestrial facilities, commercial distribution and regulatory frameworks. As a part of the arrangement, the Mumbai-based company will offer Telesat low-earth orbit (LEO) satellite services in India alongside a superior enterprise connectivity.
Demand For Satcom Services
The satellite communications industry is gearing up to witness a massive growth with technology advancements, light-touch regulations and increased demand in data services. The segment is all set to witness the launch of Elon Musk's SpaceX and Sunil Mittal-backed OneWeb in the satellite broadband space that is yet to be launched.
When it comes to the terms of the deal between these companies, Nath said that there is still a long way to go before the satellite communication service is launched in 2024. Currently, the two companies are said to be working on a business strategy.
The top executive stated that as they get closer to the launch date, they will finalise the details. He added that they are still understanding the market. Furthermore, it was added that they will look for a solution that makes economic sense for both companies.
Given that they have a strong relationship with Dan Goldberg-headed Telesat, the Nelco executive said that the partnership was ongoing. Already, they are working in several areas and are in discussion with the governments seeking permissions. Also, they are involved in fine tuning strategy while the exact details will be revealed in a few months.
Furthermore, he said that the company would focus on large enterprises and entities looking for connectivity solutions. Nath went on to state that the terrain as well as geographic location would make it difficult to install cable networks and avail telecom services in these reasons.
