India’s grand vision of connecting every village through fibre under the BharatNet initiative now finds itself standing at the edge of a new frontier. As satellite internet providers like Elon Musk’s Starlink and Amazon-backed Kuiper prepare to beam connectivity from the skies, the debate around BharatNet’s future direction has intensified.
Whispers from within the project hint at a possible rethink—”Could BharatNet evolve into a blended model, combining fibre and satcom technologies?” pondered someone familiar with the ongoing discourse. Traditional fibre players argue that the project’s essence lies in its terrestrial roots, while satcom advocates like Hughes suggest a more inclusive approach, calling for government subsidies to support both pathways.
“There is room for both technologies to thrive,” said Pranav Roach, president of Hughes Network Systems India. He stressed the need for a nuanced subsidy strategy, especially for remote zones where satcom might be the only viable solution.
Yet, concerns loom. With telecom operators pushing for wireless home broadband and satcom gaining momentum, some speculate that fibre deployment could face delays. Fibre firms such as Sterlite Technologies and Microscan disagree. They insist India’s connectivity canvas is far from saturated, citing data centres, telecom towers, and rural routes as high-potential corridors.
Ankit Agarwal, managing director at Sterlite Technologies, reinforced the fibre-first approach: “We are absolutely convinced that BharatNet project will be based on fiber,” he said. His company is already working on a Rs 2600 crore deployment in Jammu and Kashmir. Though he admitted that 1 to 2 percent of villages may require satellite solutions, he firmly believes fibre remains the most efficient and scalable medium.
Experts from Avendus Capital project a massive $10 billion fibre investment in data centres alone over the next few years. Another $30 billion could flow into fibre infrastructure for over half a million telecom towers and their connecting networks.
While BharatNet satellite speeds range from 50 to 500 Mbps, terrestrial networks touch 1 Gbps, and face fewer interruptions from weather or congestion. Microscan’s CEO Sandeep Donde emphasised that BharatNet aims to link government services like post offices and Zilla Parishads, tasks satcom cannot yet fulfill.
Interestingly, even satcom players will need fibre. “They will require a massive fibre backbone to connect their base stations to India’s data centres,” Donde added.
Also read: Viksit Workforce for a Viksit Bharat
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