The Editorial Analysis- A Path to Global Connectivity

Starlink have launched about 2,500 and 648 LEO satellites respectively at an altitude of about 1,200 km with the objective of promoting global broadband connectivity.

Table of Contents

A Path to Global Connectivity- Relevance for UPSC Exam

GS Paper 2: Science and Technology– Achievements of Indians in science & technology; indigenization of technology and developing new technology.

A Path to Global Connectivity in News

As terrestrial 5G mobile networks are being rolled out across countries, there is a renewed interest in integrating Non-Terrestrial Networks, the primary one being the low latency Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite networks (SatNets), as a complement to terrestrial networks.

Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite networks (SatNets)- Key Projects

Starlink have launched about 2,500 and 648 LEO satellites respectively at an altitude of about 1,200 km with the objective of promoting global broadband connectivity.
- Starlink is operated by the Elon Musk-owned SpaceX, and OneWeb, promoted by Bharti Global.
There are other players such as Reliance Jio in a joint venture with Luxembourg-based SES and Amazon’s Project Kuiper.

LEO SatNets- Key Use Cases

There are primarily three main use cases for integrating LEO SatNets with terrestrial 5G networks:

Service continuity to provide seamless transition between terrestrial networks and SatNets in case of public safety, disaster management and emergency situations;
Service ubiquity to provide 5G services in unserved and underserved areas of the world, thereby bridging the digital divide;
Service scalability that utilises the unique capabilities of SatNets in multicasting and broadcasting similar content over a large geographical area.
The LEO SatNets can provide service not only to stationary but also to in-motion users.

LEO SatNets- Integration Process

Satellites and terrestrial networks have always been considered two independent ecosystems, and their standardisation efforts have proceeded independent of each other.
In view of the above advantages, standard-setting organisations such as the Third Generation Partnership project (3GPP), comprising telcos and equipment manufacturers around the world, started integrating SatNets in the standardisation process.
As an extension to terrestrial networks, satellites were first mentioned in a deployment scenario of 5G in 3GPP Release 14.
This was to provide 5G communication services for areas where terrestrial coverage was not available and also to support services that could be accessed more efficiently through satellite systems, such as broadcasting services and delay-tolerant services.

LEO SatNets- Key Advantages

The Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite networks (SatNets) can provide service not only to stationary but also to in-motion users.
Wireless communications through LEO satellites over long distances is proven to be 1.47 times faster than communication over the same distance through terrestrial optic fibre.
- It is this advantage along with global coverage that provide a strong use case for LEO SatNets to complement terrestrial optic fibre networks.

LEO SatNets- Steps Taken by Government

The Government, in its National Digital Communications Policy 2018, has indicated a number of areas including-
- The development of an ecosystem for local manufacturing of satellite communication systems and
- Promoting participation of private players for the strengthening of satellite communication infrastructure in the country.
Establishment of NSIL: New Space India Limited (NSIL), a public sector enterprise, was established in 2019 under the administrative control of the Department of Space.
- This was done to re-orient space activities from a ‘supply driven’ model to a ‘demand driven’ model, thereby ensuring optimum utilisation of the space assets.
Establishment of IN-SPACe: The Department of Space also established in 2020 a new regulatory body named the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe). IN-SPACe is intended to-
- Provide a level playing field for private companies to use Indian space infrastructure and to promote and
- Guide the private industries in space activities through encouraging policies and a friendly regulatory environment.
Proposed Revision of Satellite Communication Policy: The government also proposed to revise the Satellite Communications Policy.
- This will provide the required fillip to LEO SatNets to become an integral part of the communication infrastructure of the country.