OneWeb to set up India’s first ‘satellite network portal site’ in Gujarat: What is the project, its significance?

Source: The post is based on the article “OneWeb to set up India’s first ‘satellite network portal site’ in Gujarat: What is the project, its significance?”  published in Indian Express on 23rd July 2023.

What is the News?

The Gujarat government’s Department of Science and Technology (DST) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with One Web India Communications Pvt Ltd to establish a ‘satellite network portal site’ in Mehsana, Gujarat.

What is OneWeb?

OneWeb Network Access Associates Limited is a communications company that aims to build broadband satellite Internet services. The company is headquartered in London.

It is powered by a constellation of 648 low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites.

It enables high-speed, low latency connectivity for governments, businesses and communities everywhere around the world.

India’s Bharti Enterprises is a major investor in OneWeb group.

What is the MoU signed between the Gujarat government and One Web?

OneWeb will set up a  ‘satellite network portal sites’ in Mehsana, Gujarat.

OneWeb currently has 648 satellites in LEO orbiting at 1,000-1,200 km making 13 orbits per day, covering the entire globe. 

The portal site will serve as a signal and data downlink and uplink terminal or base station on the ground, an intermediary for data transmission through satellite tracking antenna systems.

With this, the portal site will aim to provide affordable connectivity to various sectors including the government, offering continuous and secure satellite internet at affordable rates nationwide. 

The setting up of this portal site will require a slew of regulatory approvals from the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) and spectrum allocation from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).

Why was Gujarat chosen for the satellite network portal site?

The decision to set up the satellite network portal site in Gujarat was based on geographical and business interests, with Gujarat’s long coastline making it suitable for maritime sector coverage.