Hughes and Airtel form JV to offer Satellite Broadband services

Airtel and Hughes recently formed a Joint Venture, HCIPL, to offer satellite broadband services in India.

HCIPL has more than 200000 VSAT, which includes the Airtel VSAT customers; the company is the largest satellite service operator in India, well-positioned amid the changing regulatory environment to serve the emerging connectivity requirements of government and business customers with enhanced operational efficiencies and product portfolio.

Partho Banerjee, president, and managing director, HCIPL, said, "We are pleased to commence this joint venture, further delivering on our commitment to serve the growing demand for always-on, always available network connectivity for enterprise and government customers. Combining the proven capabilities of both Hughes and Airtel, the partnership will bring synergies to the forefront – including multi-orbit solutions – for the benefit of customers across the length and breadth of India."

Ajay Chitkara, director and chief executive officer, Airtel Business, said, "We, at Airtel, are focused on supporting and accelerating the digital transformation journeys of our customers through an integrated solutions portfolio. 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."

The VSAT Operations of Airtel and Hughes will provide a wide range of satellite and hybrid network solutions to government and business customers.

HCIPL combines the Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) businesses of both companies to provide scalable and flexible enterprise networking solutions using satellite connectivity for primary transport, hybrid, and backup implementation, notes the announcement.

The agreement was revealed in the month of May 2019 and has received all the statutory approvals, including those from the Department of Telecom (DoT) and National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT), and the joint venture has been formed.

The joint venture will bring synergies to the forefront, which includes multi-orbit solutions, for the benefit of customers across the breadth and length of India.