Viasat in talks with Indian startups to build mini geostationary satellites

In what could kick off a price war, California headquartered satellite giant Viasat Inc is in talks with Indian startups to jointly manufacture miniaturised geostationary (GEO) satellites in India. The goal: Enable users to buy broadband bandwidth at a lower price than what low earth orbit (LEO) satellite players currently offer domestically and globally. Globally, companies like Starlink, Eutelsat, OneWeb, and Telesat operate on LEO constellations.

- SURAJEET DAS GUPTA

While GEO satellites orbit over 35,786 kilometres (km) above the equator, LEO satellites circle between 500 km and 2,000 km above Earth’s surface. The key advantage of small GEO satellites is their targeted coverage. Unlike a typical GEO satellite, which spans nearly a third of the planet, a mini GEO focuses on a specific region.

Gautam Sharma, managing director of Viasat India, says: “Today, if I buy capacity per megahertz (MHz) per month, it costs three-digit dollars. Our aim is to be cheaper, not only compared to normal GEO satellite prices but also against LEO operators. We are looking to reduce the price to two-digit dollars per MHz per month. Plus, it’s a more flexible satellite.”