BSNL ropes in Viasat for Indian Navy's satcom upgrade programme

New Delhi: State-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) on Friday said it has collaborated with satellite company Viasat for rolling out the Indian Navy's next phase of satellite communications upgrade programme beginning later this month.

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Under an agreement signed between BSNL and the Indian Defence Forces, Viasat high-frequency range Ka-band satellite systems will be used alongside its existing L-band infrastructure, which is in the low-frequency range, to deliver enhanced, resilient, and secure connectivity for Indian naval platforms.

"BSNL is proud to support the Indian Navy's satcom modernisation by providing advanced connectivity solutions through our partnership with Viasat. This upgrade reflects BSNL's ongoing commitment to enabling India's strategic communication needs with resilient and secure infrastructure," BSNL Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) Robert Ravi said.

Viasat's international government team will support this programme under the company's communication services segment.

High-frequency bands can transmit signals at a faster speed in a short range, while lower frequency ranges provide wider coverage.

"With the equipment having arrived in India and installation activities set to begin this month, we are proud to support the Indian Navy in modernising its satellite communication capabilities. This milestone marks an important step forward in our ongoing collaboration with BSNL and the Indian Defence Forces," Viasat India Managing Director Gautam Sharma said.

Viasat said that the programme will enable the Indian Navy to transition towards a multi-band, multi-constellation SATCOM strategy, leveraging BSNL's Gateway Earth Station and Viasat's global satellite network to provide expanded coverage, higher throughput, and improved reliability for mission-critical operations.

"This upgrade combines the resilience of L-band with the power of high-throughput Ka-band, providing enhanced connectivity for mission-critical operations. It also reinforces our long-term commitment to India's defence and maritime communication ecosystem," Viasat President, International Government, Todd McDonell said.

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