Tata Group In Advanced Talks With Telesat To Launch Fast Satellite Broadband Services In India

Going bullish on satellite broadband business, Tata group company Nelco is said to be engaged in advanced talks with Canada-based Telesat to enter into a commercial pact for launching fast satellite broadband services in India under the latter’s brand Lightspeed, reports Economic Times.

The move by Nelco, if fructifies, will place it directly in competition with Bharti Enterprises-backed OneWeb, Elon Musk led Starlink and Jeff Bezos led Project Kuiper.

Sharing details, Nelco’s managing director PJ Nath said, “Nelco and Telesat will have a master services agreement (MSA) to provide Lightspeed LEO (low-earth orbit) satellite services in India. We are in the process of finalising details of the commercial arrangements.”

Globally, Telesat is planning to invest almost $5 billion to build a constellation of 298-odd low earth orbit (LEO) satellites. It plans to launch its services globally by 2024.

Meanwhile, OneWeb and SpaceX’s Starlink are planning to launch their services in India next year itself.