India opens inflight data market for Inmarsat
By MYBRANDBOOK
British satellite operator Inmarsat Holdings Ltd got India’s approval to sell high-speed broadband to planes and shipping vessels, making it the first foreign operator to get authorization. It is expected to begin its services later this year once the ground infrastructure and associated approvals are in place.
Indian state-owned telecommunications company Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) issued the license to offer IFMC services, which will include Inmarsat’s Global Xpress (Ka-band) and Swift Broadband and Fleet Broadband (L-band) services, to Indian airlines operating within and outside India, as well as foreign airlines transporting through Indian airspace, and shipping companies operating within Indian waters.
BSNL and Inmarsat’s GX Aviation Value Added Resellers (VARs) will be able to offer the world-leading inflight Wi-Fi experience to domestic customers in India. The license will also benefit foreign airlines transiting through Indian airspace and flying to and from Indian airport hubs.
GX Aviation service allows passengers to browse the internet, stream videos, check social media and much more during their flights, with connectivity similar to mobile broadband services on the ground. It is the world’s first and only global, high-speed inflight internet service, delivered through a single, wholly-owned and operated network of high-throughput satellites.
Chief Executive Officer Rajeev Suri informed that Inmarsat has struck deals with Indian airline SpiceJet Ltd and the Shipping Corp of India Ltd. The operator already offered reliable but low-data “L-band” services in India. The new license lets it offer much faster 4G-like “Ka-band” broadband on its GX network.
The in-flight broadband was Inmarsat’s fastest-growing unit before the pandemic faltered the aviation industry. The firm was acquired by a private equity consortium for $3.4 billion last year.
Inmarsat’s gets the connectivity from satellites in geostationary orbit, but it will likely end up competing with new deep-pocketed low-earth orbit satellite rivals like Elon Musk’s Space Exploration Technologies Corp and Indian telecommunications tycoon Sunil Mittal’s OneWeb, which beam broadband from much closer to the earth.
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