ISRO and Hughes Launch India’s first HTS Broadband Service

Hughes Communications announced the commercial launch of the first High Throughput Satellite (HTS) broadband internet service in India. The HTS broadband service will provide high-speed satellite internet across India, including remote locations that are not serviceable by terrestrial networks, using GSAT-11 and GSAT-29 communication satellites by the Indian Space Organisation (ISRO).

This service supports applications such as WiFi hotspots for community internet access, which is managed by SD-WAN solutions, and satellite internet for small businesses. S Somnath, chairman of ISRO, said with the new HTS capabilities powered by ISRO satellites, they are confident that Hughes Communications will continue to deliver excellent quality satellite broadband services, and enhance the connectivity experience that will accelerate that digital transformation of India.

Shivaji Chatterjee, executive vice president and business head at Hughes Communication India (HCI), said the HTS broadband service was launched in northern parts of India, including in the frontier areas of the Galwan valley in Ladakh.

He also said the nationwide launch came after the government of India came up with a policy to use shared infrastructure gateways. Shivaji Chatterjee said that the initial HTS broadband service will start with internet speeds of between 2 to 10 Mbps. The Hughes HTS service uses Ku-band transponders on GSAT-19 and GSAT-11 for the data transfers.