“Satellites help save lives in emergencies, provide critical knowledge about our planet and climate, and enable a range of solutions for digital, financial services, better healthcare and smarter cities. The satellite communications industry has a major role to play in using satellites to accelerate progress in these areas and all the other areas of the UN Sustainable Development Goals,” the executive of the UN agency said.
The formation of SiA-India, a satellite communication industry association, was announced on Tuesday that will represent a unified voice for the industry in the country.
SiA-India, a non-profit association, will include representation from satellite operators, satellite systems, launch vehicles and ground and terminal equipment manufacturers as well as application solutions providers, according to a statement quoted by PTI in a report.
As the apex representative body for the satellite communications ecosystem, SiA-India aims to present the industry’s interest to the highest government levels for policy-making and regulatory and licensing matters, it added.
With the Government of India opening up the sector for private players, India is already seeing a slew of businesses coming into the foray to offer satellite communications services.
‘Needless to say, these businesses are all set to off the best possible services,’ said Subba Rao Pavuluri, president of SiA-India and chairman and MD of Ananth Technologies.
SiA-India has been formed to carry the unified voice of this industry to the government, regulators and international bodies to carry policy-level interventions to ensure success of businesses, Pavuluri added.
‘We have a strong advisory committee to help the very robust team of experienced professionals carry this vision ahead. The SatCom industry association is a non-profit body created to represent the interests of the communication satellite ecosystem in India,” Pavuluri said.
Rakesh Sasibhushan, chairman and MD of ANTRIX Corporation, said satcom domain is now in the process of being deregulated, and is a promising area for business.
‘India holds great promise for consuming this service as the services become more and more freely available and prices become competitive.
‘I’m sure the SiA’s involvement, as an industry voice, will be crucial to the development of the sector as the new technologies evolve and make Satcom a household service in the near future,’ Sasibhushan added.