Satcom can connect the unconnected, says an ITU exec

Big opportunities lie ahead for the satellite communications (satcom) industry, including connecting the unconnected especially in rural areas, a top executive of ITU said.“As we look to the future, collaboration will be vital across industries, regulators, governments, regional and international bodies, especially the ITU,” said Malcolm Johnson, Deputy Secretary General, ITU at the virtual launch of SatCom Industry Association (SIA-India), according to a report in Economic Times.
“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.

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“This initiative will empower subscribers to pay online and subscribe to the channels they want to watch and get it activated on their TV sets in real-time without any delay. Without needing to undertake any software development, LMOs can approach Mobiezy for their pre-built and pre-integrated solution that uses NXTDigital’s news APIs and can be up and running with their own mobile apps within just a few days.”

RU Ediriwira, Group CTO, NXTDigital Limited

“With the launch of Partnership for Growth 3.0 we intend to expand our network with 40 new NXTHUBs, each offering up to 650 live TV channels and broadband. Our efforts are focused on harnessing the convergence of technologies, developing robust apps and creating new business models that will help the overall ecosystem, delivering the best experience to our subscribers. We hope to achieve a stronger foothold in the rural regions of the country and grow our subscriber base.”

N.K. Rouse, COO, NXT Digital Ltd

“One of the key principles of the Hinduja Group is ‘Partnership for Growth’. After 2.0 saw the launch of HITS to connect LMOs in even the most remote locations through the only satellite-based cable TV platform in India; 3.0 focuses not just on strengthening the overall ecosystem we have built, but harnessing the convergence of technologies – to be delivered through a national network of NXTHUBs. Video and broadband are only the beginning of the digital highway of services that we have developed for roll-out backed by a robust suite of innovative apps developed by service providers exclusively for our LMOs and subscribers.”

Vynsley Fernandes, MD & CEO, NXTDigital Limited

“Wireline broadband is becoming ever more important not only in connecting homes across the country but also small to large enterprises-to the digital economy. The NXTHUBs will be the perfect point-of-presence to offer broadband services to cater to these consumer needs.”

Yugal Kishore Sharma CEO, ONEOTT Intertainment Limited

Amazing and grim battle for survival. Guess it will end up in Supreme Court. All that NCLT asked Zee to do was to file a reply to Invesco petition for a EGM. Now this is getting too serious. So far Invesco has been hammered for demanding an EGM. What is Zee upto? Ofcourse my lawyer community knows better!

Ashok Mansukhani, Corporate Law and Media Law Advocate at Ashokmansukhani Associates

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