If you’re eagerly anticipating the rollout of satellite internet service in India, there’s some exciting news for you! Before Elon Musk's Starlink can launch its services in the country, India's own Airtel is set to introduce its satellite internet service. In a recent interview with ANI, Rajan Bharti Mittal, Vice Chairman of Bharti Enterprises, shared that their satellite telecom service is ready to go, pending approval from the central government.
Airtel has finished work on its base stations located in Gujarat and Tamil Nadu and is now simply awaiting the green light to kick off operations. Regarding the launch timeline, Rajan expressed that they are prepared to roll out satellite services in India as soon as they receive the necessary permissions.
Airtel has already launched 635 satellites and is currently operating in various international markets. Rajan also discussed pricing, indicating that they plan to provide services to remote areas at a "decent price."
This could pose a significant challenge for Starlink, which is also eager to enter the Indian market but is still waiting for government approval. Moreover, Starlink’s prices tend to be on the higher side, which could give Airtel a competitive edge in terms of affordability.
In other news, Jio, BSNL, and Airtel users can now make calls using any available network, even when their own SIM is out of signal. On January 17, the government introduced the Intra Circle Roaming (ICR) facility during an event promoting 4G mobile sites funded by the Digital Bharat Nidhi (DBN). This initiative allows users from any network to access 4G services through a single tower supported by DBN funding.
When mobile network companies work together and share the same government-funded cell towers, people using different networks can access 4G service from those towers. This cooperation means there won’t be as many towers needed, making it easier and quicker to set up the necessary infrastructure. Overall, it helps to provide better service while reducing the number of towers that need to be built.
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