Bharti Airtel, Hughes form JV to offer satellite broadband services in India

Hughes Communications India Pvt Ltd, (HCIPL), a majority-owned subsidiary of Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES) and Bharti Airtel Limited have announced the formation of a joint venture to provide satellite broadband services in India, the companies said on Wednesday.  

 The new entity combines the VSAT (very small aperture terminal) businesses of Hughes and Airtel and will offer "flexible and scalable enterprise networking solutions using satellite connectivity for primary transport, back, and hybrid implementation." 
 
The agreement, announced in May 2019, has received all statutory approvals, including those from the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) and Department of Telecom (Government of India) and the joint venture has been formed. 

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"We are pleased to commence this joint venture, further delivering on our commitment to serving the growing demand for always-on, always-available network connectivity for enterprise and government customers," said Partho Banerjee, president, and managing director, HCIPL.  
 
The partnership will bring synergies to the forefront - including multi-orbit solutions - for the benefit of customers across the length and breadth of India, he added. 
 
Ajay Chitkara, director and chief executive officer, Airtel Business, said, "With the combined capabilities of Airtel and Hughes, customers will get access to next-generation satellite connectivity backed by proven enterprise grade security and service support." 

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HCIPL has a combined base of over 200,000 VSATs comprising Airtel VSAT customers, and is the largest satellite service operator in the country.

The company provides broadband networking technologies, solutions, and services, including a full range of managed network services, for government offices and enterprises across segments like banking, aeronautical and maritime mobility, small to medium-sized businesses, education, and telecom backhaul, among others.