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State-owned BSNL on Wednesday started satellite phone service through Inmarsat, which will be initially offered to government agencies and later opened for citizens in a phased manner.
The service will cover areas where there are no networks at present, and will be provided by Inmarsat, which has 14 satellites.
Agencies handling disasters, State police, Railways, Border Security Force and other government agencies will be given the phones in the first phase, Manoj Sinha, Communications Minister (independent charge), said at the service launch.
“Later, people who travel by flight and ships will be able to use it,” he added.
BSNL Chairman and Managing Director Anupam Shrivastava said: “We are starting satellite mobile service today with voice and SMS.”
Satellite phones in India are presently provided by Tata Communications, which inherited the licence from Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited (VSNL) (now Tata Communications Ltd).
“The services of TCL will be phased out by June 30,” Shrivastava said.
Authorised users
There are 1,532 authorised satellite phone connections that can operate within the country, and a majority of them are used by security forces. TCL has also issued 4,143 permits to the maritime community for use of such phones on ships.
International Mobile Satellite Organization (Inmarsat) was set up under the aegis of the United Nations in 1979, and India was one of the founding members. India had set up a gateway required for satellite phone service in Pune under VSNL.
“All the connections will be transferred to BSNL. The call rates will be determined by BSNL. It should be in the range of ₹30-35 per minute,” said Gautam Sharma, Inmarsat India Managing Director.
Security concerns
There are certain security concerns regarding some satellite phones used by paramilitary forces that were supplied by foreign operators.
Telecom regulator TRAI has said there is a possibility that communication through such phones are being monitored by foreign agencies as their gateways are located outside India.
Also, a foreign operator who has provided these terminals to security agencies did not carry any valid licence in the country.
Defence forces did not opt for satellite phones from the foreign operators because of security and espionage concerns.
Other security agencies have been demanding for a long time for establishment of a new gateway in the country which can support new generation handsets for land mobile connections.
Lot of CEOs of multinational companies need to be connected round the clock. The new services will be provided through a miniature handset and people will not need to carry large equipment in bag at their back.
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