For India, a new frontier in satellite internet

In today’s information age, internet connectivity has emerged as a critical marker of development. The internet is at the heart of the globally connected economy and society, giving the means to transmit information from anywhere, to anywhere, in real-time. The digital economy runs on the internet. On that account, internet infrastructure becomes vital.

Satellite internet infrastructure augments traditional internet’s reach and resilience. Airtel and Jio operate ground-based internet infrastructure – towers, antennas, and cables. This traditional form of internet infrastructure is highly local. It is impractical to set up in far-flung areas, hilly regions, in the air and sea. Also, natural disasters like floods, earthquakes, and landslides can damage ground-based infrastructure. This disrupts the internet during critical times. Satellite internet can plug these gaps. Using satellites, global internet connectivity could be provided from space regardless of local infrastructure and terrain.

Satellite internet providers like Starlink use thousands of satellites to attain global coverage. Each Starlink satellite transmits and receives data from users on the ground. However, each satellite can only cover a few hundred kilometres of the earth’s surface. Consequently, Starlink uses a constellation of thousands of such satellites networked together, called a mega-constellation.

Technological advancements and innovation have made satellite internet more accessible than before. Older satellite internet systems required complicated user hardware with high upfront costs. SpaceX’s reusable rockets made the cost of Starlink satellites lower. Smaller user hardware has made installation and use a lot simpler. Everyday consumers can now afford and access satellite internet. Despite becoming cheaper and more accessible, satellite internet is still more expensive than traditional internet. However, there is significant value in having access to the internet in today’s world. That makes it worthwhile for many people and businesses to buy satellite internet services where traditional internet is unavailable.

The use cases for satellite internet are many and various. Only a little over half of India has internet access. Satellite internet can provide internet to homes, schools, hospitals, and other public places in underserved regions. This will greatly reduce the digital divide. Also, it can cater to places where physical ground-infrastructure can never reach, like airplanes, ships, and offshore oil rigs. It can enhance the government’s effectiveness in forest and wildlife monitoring. The Railway Minister has recently highlighted the usefulness of satellite internet for a safer, more connected railway operation. There are similar benefits to agriculture and healthcare. It can play a key role in disaster response, including early warning and post-disaster rescue. There are several key benefits to military communications and surveillance operations as well.

With this incredible potential, satellite internet has every characteristic of a critical information infrastructure. Starlink is the largest satellite mega-constellation in the world and can service a large chunk of Indian needs. It can also prove to be a critical asset for security forces in the border regions. Even beyond borders, it can be instrumental in maritime and aerial operations. Given its importance, developing dependency on one satellite internet service provider can prove risky. Any interruption in the service without redundancy or backup can result in costly disruptions and losses. There are also risks to using a foreign-owned satellite internet constellation for sensitive operations by the security forces. For these reasons, India needs satellite internet constellations of its own.

Strategic for space aspirations

Investments and development of satellite internet in India will come with numerous positive offshoots. In addition to infrastructure creation, it will create jobs. The demand for high-skilled labour will drive upskilling and education. Internet will be a crucial technology domain for the foreseeable future. Satellite internet constellations can serve not just India, but also the rest of the world given its inherent global and borderless nature. It is among the few space technologies of today that can be profitable without significant government funding.

There are other strategic reasons to develop satellite internet mega-constellations. Lower Earth Orbit (LEO) has been gaining a lot of interest. Most satellites launched today are placed at the LEO. Eventually, LEO resources will become scarce. As a space power with growing aspirations, India will benefit significantly by establishing a considerable presence in the LEO through satellite mega-constellations. This will give the country an influential voice in the platforms related to international space cooperation.

The key to developing satellite internet mega-constellations in India lies with regulation and policy. As a starting point, the government can grant regulatory approvals to other satellite internet providers after due diligence. This will ensure that there are multiple satellite internet providers in the country. It will also induce competition and avoid monopolies, keeping prices competitive.

In the long term, India must facilitate the creation of other satellite internet mega-constellations. These mega-constellations are built by creating, integrating, and using multiple technologies – from being able to access affordable launch services to securing electromagnetic spectrum resources and developing extensive ground-station infrastructure. These span policies related to launch services, satellite communication guidelines, telecommunication rules, talent mobility, financial procedures, insurance, and liability. There should be a conducive policy regime across the relevant domains that encourages businesses to invest in satellite internet infrastructure while preserving national security.

Given the size of the market for internet in India, there is tremendous potential to facilitate the creation and operation of satellite internet technology and all the benefits it comes with.

(The writer is a research analyst at the Takshashila Institution)