Gujarat government signs MoU with OneWeb; To develop India’s first satellite network portal

The Gujarat government has signed an MoU in Gandhinagar to establish a “Satellite Network Portal Site” with the London-based company OneWeb and the Indian government’s Department of Science and Technology. The State Department of Science and Technology’s Secretary, Vijay Nehra, and Rahul Vatts, Managing Director of OneWeb India Communication Pvt. Ltd.

OneWeb is setting up two ‘Satellite Network Portal Sites’, one in the Mehsana district of Gujarat. The satellite network portal site will be launched in Jotana, Mehsana district. It will provide high-speed, low-latency, and affordable connectivity to the government, businesses, consumers, and schools. It will provide continuous and secure satellite internet access at affordable rates in the country.

As part of the Digital India effort, this unique project will provide internet access at a reasonable cost to villages, district panchayats, local administrative bodies, and government departments, among others, throughout India. Through OneWeb, two Satellite Network Portals (SMPs) are being established as part of this, one in Gujarat and the other in Tamil Nadu. This satellite network portal, which would be built in Katosan and Tejpura in Jotana, will be launched in 2023 with a potential Phase-I expenditure of over Rs. 100 crores. In the state, it will generate about 500 direct and indirect job possibilities.

The Gujarat Government stated OneWeb is a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite corporation with up to 648 satellites that seeks to establish a worldwide communication network. Instead of using the conventional approach of using geostationary satellites stationed 36,000 km above the equator, OneWeb employs LEO to build a broadband network. The Geosynchronous Equatorial Orbit (GEO) network may offer secure, resilient, and multi-domain network service with a latency of less than 100ms compared to a network of 500-700ms. Currently operating in Canada and Europe, this technology is regarded as safe. OneWeb promises to offer internet service providers and mobile network operators in India cost-effective satellite connectivity services.