Nelco, Telesat Partner to Bring Advanced LEO Satellite Network to India

Nelco, India’s leading and fastest growing satellite communication service provider, has entered into a cooperation agreement with Telesat, a leading global satellite operator that has been addressing complex connectivity challenges for over 50 years. Nelco and Telesat will collaborate on terrestrial facilities, commercial distribution and regulatory frameworks to offer Telesat LEO satellite connectivity in India. 

Telesat LEO is a next generation satellite constellation that leverages Telesat’s global, priority Ka-band spectrum rights and patent-pending architecture to fundamentally transform global communications. Telesat LEO will help close the digital divide in remote and challenging locations, accelerate 5G expansion, and set new levels of performance for enterprise, telecom, mobility and government broadband connectivity on land, air and sea. The Telesat LEO constellation will provide complete coverage of India and superior enterprise connectivity in the country, subject to the necessary regulatory clearances.

The availability of the Telesat LEO Network in India has the potential to provide significant benefits in areas like 4G/5G backhaul, mobile hotspots, distance education, telemedicine, village connectivity, as well as maritime and inflight connectivity. The open architecture, compliant with the Metro Ethernet Forum standard, will simplify the integration of Telesat LEO services with enterprise networks, including Nelco infrastructure and service offerings. Acting as a virtual fibre network, Telesat LEO Layer 2 transport service can deliver hundreds of Mbps to a terminal.

The Telesat LEO Satellites Incorporate Next-Generation Technologies, including:

* Data Processing in Space: Full digital modulation, demodulation, and data routing occurs in space, resulting in higher capacity and flexibility

* Phased Array Antennas: Sophisticated antennas on each satellite with hopping and reconfigurable beams scan the earth to provide full coverage and can dynamically focus capacity precisely where required

* Optical Inter-satellite Links: Data can travel at the speed of light from one satellite to another, resulting in a fully interconnected global mesh network in space.

Globally, the satellite communications industry has been growing at a rapid pace owing to advancements in technology, light touch regulations and an increase in Internet traffic demands. LEO satellites are poised to revolutionise the industry, and with the prospective opening of the space sector in India, Nelco, through its strategic relationship with Telesat, plans to serve new market segments and requirements for high-bandwidth, low latency applications with Telesat LEO connectivity.

Speaking on this new development, Mr. P J Nath, MD & CEO of NELCO said, “Considering the huge potential for Satcom services growth in the country in the coming years, we are continuously exploring the latest satellite technologies to bring better value to our customers and expand the market. We believe that our partnership with Telesat will help in bringing LEO satellites into the country, which has the potential to revolutionise connectivity in the future”.

“We are honoured to collaborate with Nelco, a highly innovative and respected enterprise connectivity leader in India,” stated Michael Schwartz, Telesat’s Senior Vice President, Corporate and Business Development. “Telesat LEO’s secure, high throughput, low-latency network will bring unsurpassed performance and flexibility for enterprise applications and extend the reach of terrestrial networks throughout India.”

About Nelco -

Nelco, a part of Tata Group, was started in 1940 as a revolutionary electronics company (with many firsts to its name). Nelco is a major Satcom service provider in India, providing highly reliable B2B data connectivity solutions across the country through its wholly owned subsidiary Tatanet Services Ltd. It has been playing an important role in the development and growth of important industry segments like Banking & Financial Services, Renewable Energy, Mining, offshore Oil & Gas exploration etc., by providing Satcom services for business-critical applications in the remotest locations. Nelco has taken the lead in offering digital communication services to both Aero & Maritime segments in the country.  NELCO is listed in BSE and NSE and The Tata Power Company Ltd. holds 50.1% of the shares in the company.

About Telesat –

Backed by a legacy of engineering excellence, reliability and industry-leading customer service, Telesat has grown to be one of the largest and most successful global satellite operators. Telesat works collaboratively with its customers to deliver critical connectivity solutions that tackle the world’s most complex communications challenges, providing powerful advantages that improve their operations and drive growth. Telesat LEO, our Low Earth Orbit network will revolutionize global broadband connectivity by delivering a combination of high capacity, security, resiliency and affordability with ultra-low latency and fiber-like speeds.

Privately held and headquartered in Ottawa, Canada with offices and facilities around the world, Telesat’s principal shareholders are Canada’s Public Sector Pension Investment Board and Loral Space & Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: LORL).