Ananth Technologies: Ananth Technologies to be the first private Indian satellite operator to provide GSO communication satellite

Hyderabad-based Ananth Technologies Ltd (ATL) will be the first private Indian satellite operator to provide geostationary (GSO) communication satellite to the country. The company became the first beneficiary of the Indian Space Policy 2023, under which a framework and guidelines were provided for granting access to available Indian Orbital Resources Non-Government Entities (NGEs) or private companies.

The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe) on Monday announced that ATL has been authorized to develop and operate GSO satellite in the Ka-band.

Following the announcement of rules and guidelines of the space policy, IN-SPACe had invited bids in July. ATL under the Announcement of Opportunity (AO) will leverage India’s International Telecommunication Union (ITU) filings in the Ka-band to develop a high-throughput satellite. “The satellite will support communication needs in sectors like education and healthcare, contributing to India’s digital infrastructure,” IN-SPACe said in a statement.

ATL will oversee the entire project, including satellite design, launch, and operations, along with handling critical frequency coordination and ITU compliance. The satellite will feature multi-beam technology and aims to enhance connectivity across India. The Hyderabad-based company will also leverage the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) expertise on building and launching the satellite.

“This Orbital resource shall help ATL to position itself as the first private Indian communication satellite operator. ATL shall bring-in a state-of-the-art communication satellite building capability in India and have it launched from India,” ATL said in a statement adding that the indigenous capacity would contribute towards building the ‘Digital Highways’ for providing the last mile connectivity.

“This Geostationary Ka band HTS satellite shall truly be ‘Make in India’ and ‘launch from India’ and for ‘Bharat’ for the benefit of the education and health sectors.”

Meanwhile Pawan Goenka, Chairman, IN-SPACe said the announcement is a transformative step for the Indian space sector. “With support from ISRO and DoT, this effort establishes a new benchmark for private sector participation in generating SATCOM capacity through indigenous satellites. It is a significant step toward achieving ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ in satellite communication,” he said.