ISRO''s new satellite to offer direct mobile communication link

Mumbai: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is planning to launch a new satellite that will provide direct link to mobile phone handsets, making mobile telephony cheaper and accessible even to the remotest parts of the country.

The new satellite, planned to be launched in the next three years, will provide direct satellite communication link to mobile phone handsets - like the direct-to-home (DTH) television channels.

"We plan to provide satellite connectivity using a special bandwidth," ISRO chairman G Madhavan Nair told the 58th International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Hyderabad.

He said the ISRO was designing an experimental satellite — GSAT-6 — for the purpose, which it plans to launch in the next three years.

"It will make access cheaper with connectivity even in remote areas," he said.

Even as the country is embarking on the second vision, including launch of mission to the moon, the emphasis on societal applications of space technology would continue with same vigour, he said.

"The proposed launch of the mission to the moon, Chandrayaan-I, is part of this second vision. We are able to garner cooperation from various space agencies in developing this mission," Nair said.

The Indian space application programmes such as telemedicine, tele-education and village resource centres could become role models for the global community, especially for developing countries, he noted.

He said space technologies and space-based systems had become globally important for solving problems and enriching the quality of life.

India, he said, viewed international cooperation as an essential means to developing new space technologies and the country is willing to share scientific and technological advances with other nations.