Vi Partners AST SpaceMobile For Satcom Services

Jumping on the satellite communications (satcom) bandwagon, Vodafone Idea (Vi) has announced a partnership with US-based AST SpaceMobile to launch direct-to-device satellite broadband services in the country. 

As part of the collaboration, Vi will leverage AST SpaceMobile’s satellite constellation to offer voice, video, data streaming and internet access to customers in areas with sparse terrestrial mobile infrastructure. Simply put, Vi users will be able to access high-speed internet on standard smartphones in areas with coverage gaps without the need for any specialised equipment. 

The deal will see the two companies working together to design, implement and launch the new system. 

In a statement, Vi said that while AST SpaceMobile will develop, manufacture and manage the satellite constellation, the telecom operator will oversee terrestrial network integration, operating spectrum and market access. 

“Vi has always been committed to leveraging technology to connect every Indian and we see satellite communication as a complement to terrestrial connectivity. As satellite-based mobile access becomes a reality in India, we are looking forward to ushering in a new era of seamless and resilient connectivity,” said Vi chief marketing officer Avneesh Khosla. 

Commenting on the partnership, AST SpaceMobile chief commercial officer Chris Ivory said, “… Together with Vodafone Idea, we are excited to unlock new possibilities for emergency response, disaster management, agriculture, remote learning, and countless other applications that will benefit from truly ubiquitous mobile broadband”.

Besides, Vi also said that the two companies will also jointly collaborate on developing commercial offerings for consumer and enterprise use cases as well as the internet of things (loT) sector. 

This comes at a time when the government has pushed the pedal on satcom rollout. Last month, telecom minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said that India will see the fastest rollout of the satcom network in the world. 

On the regulatory front, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has forwarded its recommendations on norms for satcom spectrum, with the Centre now vetting the policy. 

Meanwhile, competition also continues to intensify in the homegrown satcom space. In May, Starlink was granted a letter of intent by the telecom department (DoT) to operate satellite-based internet services in India. Quickly afterwards, the Elon Musk-led company also received another licence from the telecom ministry. 

Alongside, Airtel-backed Eutelsat OneWeb and Reliance-backed Jio SES too have received GMPCS licence from regulators and are waiting for approvals to commence commercial operations in the country. 

Then, there are global giants like Amazon’s Project Kuiper and Apple vendor Globalstar that have also filed applications for satcom licences in the country.