Tata Group company Nelco on Wednesday said the company is launching LEO satellite communication in collaboration with global satellite operator Telesat by mid-2024 in India.

In an interview with CNBC-TV18, PJ Nath, managing director and chief executive officer, said, "With Telesat, we are bringing the new concept called LEO satellite, a low earth orbit satellite which opens up a much larger market for satellite communication and that will expand the entire sector."

He said, "In terms of timelines, we are still working out. There is a global constellation, which has to be operational. We should be operational sometime around the middle of 2024 in terms of the full-fledged service of Telesat service."

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Nath said, "Prime Minister Modi is focusing a lot in terms of giving a boost to the space sector. The indications are that the government is now looking at deregulating a lot of the areas and making it much easier for the private sector to bring in newer services, new technologies, etc. So, a lot of guidelines are probably in line, but some of them are happening."

"With the new Spacecom Policy which was sent out for consultation sometime in October 2020, once that happens, we believe that most of the confusion in terms of the regulatory framework would get sorted out," he said.

According to Nath, "The Indian space sector is getting more traction, there are more opportunities coming up, more sectors have started using satellite communication and that will be the growth factors."

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"There are a lot of areas in the country, which are remote locations where it is difficult to get very reliable services using the conventional terrestrial networks and that is where the satellites will get more used. There are a lot of new technology developments happening. Apart from LEO satellites, there are a lot of other technology developments happening, which is helping in terms of the satellite, more widely used in today's context, and that will give us the growth in the next few years," he added.

Telesat LEO, a next-generation satellite constellation, will help bridge the digital divide in remote and challenging locations, accelerate 5G expansion, and enable new levels of performance for enterprise, telecom, mobility and government broadband connectivity on land, air and sea.

For full management commentary, watch the video.

(Edited by : Jomy Jos Pullokaran)