New Delhi, November 22, 2018: India needs to undertake a fundamental re-think on its SatCom policy in light of emerging requirements led by 5G and IoT among other developments, said  Telecom Secretary, Aruna Sundararajan yesterday.
"The policy would need to create a happy balance between autonomy, security and demand for services and a calibrated approach would be required to enable this and therefore bridge the communications deficit", she added, "Any  future roadmap, calls for serious engagement from all stakeholders that would create an ecosystem for significant investments,  of around US$ 100 Billion."
She was the key speaker  at the Broadband India Forum's (BIF), Fourth International Annual Satcom Summit ‘India SatCom-2018’,
The Summit delved on various issues including the sector’s efforts to deliver connectivity and Broadband to the remote and difficult to access parts of the country, satellite mobility, inflight connectivity, new technologies and innovations, etc. The conference also deliberated on economic potential and ease of doing business issues in Satcom and Broadcasting sector in India to find out the way forward for deployment of Satellite communications technologies. It  reflected on drivers for Next Generation Satcom applications and services and satellite broadcasting in a converged era. A CXO Roundtable with Senior DoT officials was attended by more than 50 industry professionals.
Ms Sundararajan also said:  “The National Digital Communications Policy (NDCP) 2018 seeks to enable the vision of Digital India and realizes the importance of Satcom sector in achieving the Digital dream. Satcom is expected to play an active role in providing high speed broadband access and affordable digital connectivity to the unserved and underserved. The Government is committed to un-locking the potential of the Satcom to provide affordable and accessible broadband everywhere by connecting the unserved and the underserved and thereby help bridge the digital divide.”
She  pointed out that  satellite communications ecosystem was at the cusp of huge change led by new and emerging satellite technologies such as LEO (Low- earth-orbit) and MEO (Medium-earth-orbit) systems and India needs to examine how these systems can be brought into India.|
In his message, K Sivan, Secretary Department of Space (DoS) and Chairman, ISRO said, “The space technology plays a critical role in connecting the unconnected, despite the growing popularity of the terrestrial means of communication. When it comes to provide the connectivity to deep rural and inaccessible hilly areas, there is no alternative to Satcom.”