In a major move for India’s space and telecom sectors, Hyderabad-based Ananth Technologies is all set to become the country’s first private company to offer satellite broadband services using an Indian-built satellite. The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) has approved the company’s ₹3,000 crore plan to launch the service by 2028.
This marks a major shift in India’s space industry, positioning Ananth Technologies to compete directly with global players like Starlink, OneWeb, and Amazon’s Project Kuiper. The service will use a 4-tonne geostationary (GEO) satellite, which will offer high-speed internet at up to 100 Gbps across India.
Unlike many international competitors that operate in low Earth orbit (LEO), Ananth’s satellite will be placed in geostationary orbit, over 35,000 km above the Earth. While GEO satellites have higher latency, they provide wider coverage. A single GEO satellite can cover the entire Indian subcontinent, unlike LEO satellites which require multiple units for similar reach.
Meanwhile, Elon Musk’s Starlink is also close to receiving final approval to operate in India. IN-SPACe has issued a draft letter of intent, and once signed, Starlink will join other authorised providers like OneWeb and Jio Satellite. In May, Starlink received the GMPCS licence, making it the third satcom company allowed to offer commercial services in India.
In another key development, Vodafone Idea has partnered with US-based AST SpaceMobile to deliver satellite phone services directly to regular smartphones in India. AST SpaceMobile is working on building the first space-based cellular broadband network. Vodafone Idea said, “Vi and AST SpaceMobile Inc. announced a strategic partnership to expand mobile connectivity across India’s unconnected regions.” AST SpaceMobile also made history by completing the first voice and video call from space using a standard mobile phone.
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