Information & Broadcasting (I&B) Secretary Apurva Chandra on Friday said the Ministry would deregulate uplinking for satellites in the new Uplinking-Downlinking Guidelines slated to be released soon.
Speaking at the India Space Congress 2022, Mr. Chandra said the move would make India an uplinking hub for neighbouring countries.
He said broadcasting channels in the country used 592 foreign satellites and 366 Indian satellites for uplinking and downlinking and “$102 million has been paid as remittance to foreign satellite companies. If we are to have more Indian satellites, the foreign remittance will be far less and will provide a great opportunity to Indian satellite companies.”
Stating that SatCom was a key player in broadband, the I&B Secretary said: “LEO satellites are used for broadcasting and satellite communications will be critical to expand broadcasting either through broadband or data. Cost effectiveness will be key to the success of satellite communication.”
The India Space Congress 2022 is supported by ISRO, In-SPACe, NCIL, Department of Telecommunications, Dept of Space and NITI Aayog, said SIA-India (a non-profit association) statement.
The association represents satellite operators, satellite systems, launch vehicles and ground and terminal equipment manufacturers and application solutions providers to the government, regulators, policymakers, and domestic and international standards bodies.
