Latest news with #IAFI
Time of India
6 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
IAFI's Bharat Bhatia appointed as vice chairman of APG-27
NEW DELHI: Bharat Bhatia , the president of the ITU-APT Foundation of India ( IAFI ), has been appointed as the vice chairman and chair of the editorial committee of the Asia-Pacific Telecommunity 's Conference Preparatory Group for the World Radiocommunication Conference-2027 (WRC-27). Bhatia's nomination, proposed by the Chairman of APG27, was endorsed unanimously by the heads of delegation of 30 Asian countries, the IAFI said in a statement, adding that the appointment was announced during the plenary conference on July 28, 2025. The 2nd Meeting of APG‑27 (APG27‑2), held from July 28 to August 1, marks a pivotal moment in the expansion of India's role in international spectrum policy . Established at the inaugural APG‑27 meeting in Shanghai in June last year, APG‑27 serves as the Asia‑Pacific's coordinating body to develop regional consensus and common proposals on all spectrum regulations that will be considered at WRC‑27, in particular, spectrum for 6G and Direct-to-Device (D2D) satellite services, among other 25 agenda items. 'Being entrusted with the Chair of the Editorial Committee at APG‑27 is both a deep honour and a reflection of India's serious commitment to global spectrum governance. This recognition underscores the technical rigor and spirit of collaboration that IAFI brings to every international telecom forum,' Bhatia said.
Time of India
9 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
IAFI's Space Policy conference outlines India's satellite roadmap
NEW DELHI, July 25, 2025: The ITU-APT Foundation of India ( IAFI ) organised the two-day Indian Space Policy Conference 2025 (ISPC-25) at Hotel Imperial, New Delhi. The event, held from July 24 to July 25, brought together senior government officials, international regulators, industry leaders, and satellite experts to discuss India's emerging space and spectrum ecosystem. It was attended by over 200 delegates. Participants examined regulatory frameworks, global spectrum policy, satellite applications, Direct-to-Device (D2D) communications, and the path toward India's 'Viksit Bharat' vision across six technical sessions and two plenaries. Shri Anil Kumar Lahoti, Chairman, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), in his inaugural address, stated, 'Satellite communication will be pivotal in fulfilling India's digital inclusion goals. With the right spectrum policy and regulatory flexibility—particularly in enabling non-geostationary satellite systems—we can ensure affordable, high-quality connectivity across the most remote corners of the country.' He reaffirmed that TRAI's recent recommendations, including a 4% AGR fee applicable to both GSO and NGSO operators, were designed to create a balanced and innovation-friendly ecosystem. He also emphasised the importance of non-terrestrial networks (NTNs) in delivering up to $250 billion in global socio-economic benefits by 2030, supporting the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). ' Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is working to finalize satellite communications rules—streamlining spectrum allocation, simplifying licensing, and promoting ease of doing business,' Lahoti further said. Ms. Isabelle Mauro, Director-General, Global Satellite Operators Association (GSOA), urged India to embrace a more agile regulatory framework to accelerate deployment, suggesting 'a progressive approach including administrative allocation of satellite spectrum can help ensure digital equity and inclusion'. Mr. Gautam Sharma, Managing Director, Viasat India , raised concerns about global spectrum consolidation and encouraged the Indian government to safeguard its orbital assets. He noted that Viasat was working closely with Indian startups to launch Direct-to-Device (D2D)-enabled satellites by next year. Ms. Revathi Mannepalli, Joint Wireless Advisor and Member of the ITU Radio Regulatory Board, reiterated that the Indian Space Policy 2023 has played a crucial role in enabling private sector participation and supported the establishment of a dedicated space regulator to streamline licensing and enhance transparency. 'India has opened up the space sector to private players, and the way the policy has evolved, it is going to bring in a lot of new jobs and investments,' noted Shri Bharat Bhatia, President of IAFI, commending India's transformative policy shift. Bhatia underlined the organization's commitment to shaping India's telecom and space communication agenda and noted that in recent years, IAFI has emerged as a powerful voice for Indian stakeholders in global telecom and satellite forums. 'With ISPC-25, we are bringing together the right people at the right time to align India's policy and regulatory ecosystem with the massive technological shift being driven by satellite innovation,' he added. Throughout the six technical sessions and two plenaries, delegates explored key aspects of India's space transformation. The first technical session, moderated by Shri Bhatia, focused on India's evolving space policy and regulatory framework. Shri Arun Agrawal, Deputy Director General (Satellite), Department of Telecommunications , provided an overview of policy and licensing structures supporting the satellite sector. Mr. Vinay Paliwal, Deputy Director, Programme Management and Authorization Directorate, IN-SPACe, highlighted efforts to simplify authorizations and catalyze private sector engagement. Lt. Gen. Anil Kumar Bhatt (Retd.), Director General, Indian Space Association (ISpA), spoke about the growing industry-government collaboration and the importance of IN-SPACe as a single-window facilitator. Mr. Tony Azzarelli, Vice President, Eutelsat OneWeb , remarked during the session, 'We've been very busy for the past two years to start providing services in India. We're just waiting for the final touches of the regulations, which are crucial.' He emphasized global coordination for spectrum and orbital resources, particularly for non-geostationary (NGSO) satellite systems. Dr. Laura Roberti, Director for Spectrum and Market Access, Telesat, during the session emphasized the need for internationally harmonized regulations and efficient spectrum access to support sustainable growth in satellite services. The second session addressed spectrum issues in the lead-up to WRC-27, focusing on agenda items 1.1 to 1.6. Shri Amit Gulati, Senior Deputy Wireless Advisor, WPC, Department of Telecommunications, outlined India's preparatory strategy and its alignment with international developments. Participating virtually, Ms. J Sofi, Associate Director (Frequency Management), ISRO Satellite Communication Programme Office, discussed coordination challenges in satellite network deployment and the importance of protecting interference-free operations. Dr. Roberti addressed global regulatory alignment and market access constraints. Ms. Marta Donate Fuente, Spectrum Engineer, Eutelsat OneWeb, joining remotely, offered global insights on fair spectrum sharing and multi-operator coexistence in increasingly congested orbital environments. Session three, chaired by Shri Gulab Chand, Joint Wireless Advisor, Department of Telecommunications, explored spectrum requirements for defence, civil aviation, and maritime safety. Mr. Laurent Parente, Director General of the International Mobile Satellite Organisation (IMSO), delivered a virtual keynote stressing the preservation of interference-free environments for critical safety systems such as GMDSS. Mr. John Dodd, Director of Safety Services at Inmarsat, presented the modernization of maritime safety services. Brigadier Rahul Anand, Director, Joint Communication Electronics Staff (JCES), Integrated Defence Staff, Ministry of Defence, underscored the need to safeguard defence spectrum against encroachment. Mr. Vivek Banzal, Director, CFA, BSNL , reflected on operator priorities. Ms. Donna Bethea-Murphy, Senior Vice President, Regulatory, Viasat, emphasized the importance of protecting L-band spectrum for emerging services like D2D. Mr. Bashir Patel, Senior Advisor, Policy and Spectrum, concluded with a global view of the future of Mobile Satellite Services (MSS). Mr. Lokesh Kabdal, Co-founder and CEO of AeroDome, also participated. Day 2 Highlights On day two, GSOA's Mauro spoke about D2D potential and hybrid integration. Shri N. K. Bhola, Director, WMO, addressed D2D policy gaps. Shri Anand Khare, Member (Services), DCC, DoT, emphasized convergence between terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks. Session 4 of ISPC-25 examined the future of Direct-to-Device (D2D) satellite communications, focusing on spectrum policies, global coordination, and commercial viability. Chaired by Shri Gulab Chand, Joint Wireless Advisor, Department of Telecommunications, the session addressed key WRC-27 agenda items related to MSS and non-terrestrial network integration. Ms. Sonali Nanda, Deputy Director, PMAD, IN-SPACe, emphasized the need for regulatory clarity and harmonized licensing to support private D2D deployments. Shri M. P. S. Alawa, Joint Wireless Advisor, DoT, called for alignment with global spectrum frameworks. Mr. Jitendra Singh, Head of Government Affairs, Qualcomm, highlighted 3GPP standards and chipset readiness for global mobile-satellite interoperability. Ms. Mariona Pazos Rovira of Sateliot outlined the growing role of nanosatellite constellations in enabling affordable IoT applications. Mr. Chris Woolford, Director, Ofcom, UK, offered a European perspective on spectrum coordination and advocated international cooperation. In a panel moderated by Mr. Pankaj Sharma, Partner, EY, experts, including Shri T. R. Dua, Chairman, IAFI, and Shri R. S. Singh, DDG (IoT), TEC, discussed India's leadership potential in D2D, stressing the need for flexible regulation, spectrum efficiency, and interoperability. Session 5, chaired by Shri Arun Agrawal, DDG (Satellite), DoT, explored how satellite technologies support India's Viksit Bharat agenda. Mr. Mukesh Kumar, DDG (Radio), TEC, highlighted the role of satellite-terrestrial convergence in universal broadband. Mr. H Rayappa of ISRO outlined satellite capacity for civilian use. Mr. Sanjay Aggarwal, Director, DCPW, discussed satellite applications in disaster response and public safety. Mr. Prabhat Dikshit, DDG (SMC), DoT, emphasized satellite's role in last-mile connectivity. Mr. Utpal Bhowmick, Principal BD India/APAC, Amazon Kuiper, presented low-latency NGSO solutions for rural connectivity. Mr. Alok Shankar Pandey of DFCCIL explained the integration of satellite systems into logistics and railways. The conference concluded with an important session on Space Sustainability, Ms. Bethea-Murphy and Mr. H. C. Soni, Vice President, IAFI, called for global efforts to address orbital debris, and highlighted the growing challenge to sustainability caused by orbital debris. Soni delivered the vote of thanks. Shri Bhatia concluded the event, and thanked GSOA and other partners for making the event a success. About IAFI ITU-APT Foundation of India (ITU-APT) is a non-profit, non-political, non-partisan Industry foundation registered as a society under the Societies Registration Act, 1960. ITU-APT is working for last 22 years with the prime objective of encouraging involvement of professionals, corporate, public/private sector industries, R&D organizations, academic institutions, and such other agencies engaged in development of Indian Telecom sector in the activities of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the Asia Pacific Telecommunity (APT). The Foundation has been recognized as an International/Regional Telecommunications Organization by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU). For any further information, please see our website (DISCLAIMER: The article has been published under ETTelecom's Brand Connect Initiative)
Time of India
13 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
India sets clear satellite roadmap at IAFI's Space Policy conference
NEW DELHI, July 25, 2025: The ITU-APT Foundation of India ( IAFI ) organised the two-day Indian Space Policy Conference 2025 (ISPC-25) at Hotel Imperial, New Delhi. The event, held from July 24 to July 25, brought together senior government officials, international regulators, industry leaders, and satellite experts to discuss India's emerging space and spectrum ecosystem. It was attended by over 200 delegates. Participants examined regulatory frameworks, global spectrum policy, satellite applications, Direct-to-Device (D2D) communications, and the path toward India's 'Viksit Bharat' vision across six technical sessions and two plenaries. Shri Anil Kumar Lahoti, Chairman, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), in his inaugural address, stated, 'Satellite communication will be pivotal in fulfilling India's digital inclusion goals. With the right spectrum policy and regulatory flexibility—particularly in enabling non-geostationary satellite systems—we can ensure affordable, high-quality connectivity across the most remote corners of the country.' He reaffirmed that TRAI's recent recommendations, including a 4% AGR fee applicable to both GSO and NGSO operators, were designed to create a balanced and innovation-friendly ecosystem. He also emphasised the importance of non-terrestrial networks (NTNs) in delivering up to $250 billion in global socio-economic benefits by 2030, supporting the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). ' Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is working to finalize satellite communications rules—streamlining spectrum allocation, simplifying licensing, and promoting ease of doing business,' Lahoti further said. Ms. Isabelle Mauro, Director-General, Global Satellite Operators Association (GSOA), urged India to embrace a more agile regulatory framework to accelerate deployment, suggesting 'a progressive approach including administrative allocation of satellite spectrum can help ensure digital equity and inclusion'. Mr. Gautam Sharma, Managing Director, Viasat India , raised concerns about global spectrum consolidation and encouraged the Indian government to safeguard its orbital assets. He noted that Viasat was working closely with Indian startups to launch Direct-to-Device (D2D)-enabled satellites by next year. Ms. Revathi Mannepalli, Joint Wireless Advisor and Member of the ITU Radio Regulatory Board, reiterated that the Indian Space Policy 2023 has played a crucial role in enabling private sector participation and supported the establishment of a dedicated space regulator to streamline licensing and enhance transparency. 'India has opened up the space sector to private players, and the way the policy has evolved, it is going to bring in a lot of new jobs and investments,' noted Shri Bharat Bhatia, President of IAFI, commending India's transformative policy shift. Bhatia underlined the organization's commitment to shaping India's telecom and space communication agenda and noted that in recent years, IAFI has emerged as a powerful voice for Indian stakeholders in global telecom and satellite forums. 'With ISPC-25, we are bringing together the right people at the right time to align India's policy and regulatory ecosystem with the massive technological shift being driven by satellite innovation,' he added. Throughout the six technical sessions and two plenaries, delegates explored key aspects of India's space transformation. The first technical session, moderated by Shri Bhatia, focused on India's evolving space policy and regulatory framework. Shri Arun Agrawal, Deputy Director General (Satellite), Department of Telecommunications , provided an overview of policy and licensing structures supporting the satellite sector. Mr. Vinay Paliwal, Deputy Director, Programme Management and Authorization Directorate, IN-SPACe, highlighted efforts to simplify authorizations and catalyze private sector engagement. Lt. Gen. Anil Kumar Bhatt (Retd.), Director General, Indian Space Association (ISpA), spoke about the growing industry-government collaboration and the importance of IN-SPACe as a single-window facilitator. Mr. Tony Azzarelli, Vice President, Eutelsat OneWeb , remarked during the session, 'We've been very busy for the past two years to start providing services in India. We're just waiting for the final touches of the regulations, which are crucial.' He emphasized global coordination for spectrum and orbital resources, particularly for non-geostationary (NGSO) satellite systems. Dr. Laura Roberti, Director for Spectrum and Market Access, Telesat, during the session emphasized the need for internationally harmonized regulations and efficient spectrum access to support sustainable growth in satellite services. The second session addressed spectrum issues in the lead-up to WRC-27, focusing on agenda items 1.1 to 1.6. Shri Amit Gulati, Senior Deputy Wireless Advisor, WPC, Department of Telecommunications, outlined India's preparatory strategy and its alignment with international developments. Participating virtually, Ms. J Sofi, Associate Director (Frequency Management), ISRO Satellite Communication Programme Office, discussed coordination challenges in satellite network deployment and the importance of protecting interference-free operations. Dr. Roberti addressed global regulatory alignment and market access constraints. Ms. Marta Donate Fuente, Spectrum Engineer, Eutelsat OneWeb, joining remotely, offered global insights on fair spectrum sharing and multi-operator coexistence in increasingly congested orbital environments. Session three, chaired by Shri Gulab Chand, Joint Wireless Advisor, Department of Telecommunications, explored spectrum requirements for defence, civil aviation, and maritime safety. Mr. Laurent Parente, Director General of the International Mobile Satellite Organisation (IMSO), delivered a virtual keynote stressing the preservation of interference-free environments for critical safety systems such as GMDSS. Mr. John Dodd, Director of Safety Services at Inmarsat, presented the modernization of maritime safety services. Brigadier Rahul Anand, Director, Joint Communication Electronics Staff (JCES), Integrated Defence Staff, Ministry of Defence, underscored the need to safeguard defence spectrum against encroachment. Mr. Vivek Banzal, Director, CFA, BSNL , reflected on operator priorities. Ms. Donna Bethea-Murphy, Senior Vice President, Regulatory, Viasat, emphasized the importance of protecting L-band spectrum for emerging services like D2D. Mr. Bashir Patel, Senior Advisor, Policy and Spectrum, concluded with a global view of the future of Mobile Satellite Services (MSS). Mr. Lokesh Kabdal, Co-founder and CEO of AeroDome, also participated. Day 2 Highlights On day two, GSOA's Mauro spoke about D2D potential and hybrid integration. Shri N. K. Bhola, Director, WMO, addressed D2D policy gaps. Shri Anand Khare, Member (Services), DCC, DoT, emphasized convergence between terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks. Session 4 of ISPC-25 examined the future of Direct-to-Device (D2D) satellite communications, focusing on spectrum policies, global coordination, and commercial viability. Chaired by Shri Gulab Chand, Joint Wireless Advisor, Department of Telecommunications, the session addressed key WRC-27 agenda items related to MSS and non-terrestrial network integration. Ms. Sonali Nanda, Deputy Director, PMAD, IN-SPACe, emphasized the need for regulatory clarity and harmonized licensing to support private D2D deployments. Shri M. P. S. Alawa, Joint Wireless Advisor, DoT, called for alignment with global spectrum frameworks. Mr. Jitendra Singh, Head of Government Affairs, Qualcomm, highlighted 3GPP standards and chipset readiness for global mobile-satellite interoperability. Ms. Mariona Pazos Rovira of Sateliot outlined the growing role of nanosatellite constellations in enabling affordable IoT applications. Mr. Chris Woolford, Director, Ofcom, UK, offered a European perspective on spectrum coordination and advocated international cooperation. In a panel moderated by Mr. Pankaj Sharma, Partner, EY, experts, including Shri T. R. Dua, Chairman, IAFI, and Shri R. S. Singh, DDG (IoT), TEC, discussed India's leadership potential in D2D, stressing the need for flexible regulation, spectrum efficiency, and interoperability. Session 5, chaired by Shri Arun Agrawal, DDG (Satellite), DoT, explored how satellite technologies support India's Viksit Bharat agenda. Mr. Mukesh Kumar, DDG (Radio), TEC, highlighted the role of satellite-terrestrial convergence in universal broadband. Mr. H Rayappa of ISRO outlined satellite capacity for civilian use. Mr. Sanjay Aggarwal, Director, DCPW, discussed satellite applications in disaster response and public safety. Mr. Prabhat Dikshit, DDG (SMC), DoT, emphasized satellite's role in last-mile connectivity. Mr. Utpal Bhowmick, Principal BD India/APAC, Amazon Kuiper, presented low-latency NGSO solutions for rural connectivity. Mr. Alok Shankar Pandey of DFCCIL explained the integration of satellite systems into logistics and railways. The conference concluded with an important session on Space Sustainability, Ms. Bethea-Murphy and Mr. H. C. Soni, Vice President, IAFI, called for global efforts to address orbital debris, and highlighted the growing challenge to sustainability caused by orbital debris. Soni delivered the vote of thanks. Shri Bhatia concluded the event, and thanked GSOA and other partners for making the event a success. About IAFI ITU-APT Foundation of India (ITU-APT) is a non-profit, non-political, non-partisan Industry foundation registered as a society under the Societies Registration Act, 1960. ITU-APT is working for last 22 years with the prime objective of encouraging involvement of professionals, corporate, public/private sector industries, R&D organizations, academic institutions, and such other agencies engaged in development of Indian Telecom sector in the activities of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the Asia Pacific Telecommunity (APT). The Foundation has been recognized as an International/Regional Telecommunications Organization by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU). For any further information, please see our website (DISCLAIMER: The article has been published under ETTelecom's Brand Connect Initiative)
Time of India
5 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
India's space sector evolved; primed for job creation, investments: IAFI President Bharat Bhatia
New Delhi: Bharat Bhatia , President of ITU-APT Foundation of India ( IAFI ) on Thursday applauded the opening up of the Indian space sector and said that it holds immense potential for job creation and new investments. IAFI held its 2nd India Space Policy Conference here in the national capital. According to IAFI website, it is working for last 20 years with the prime objective of encouraging involvement of professionals, corporate, public and private sector industries, R&D organizations, academic institutions, and such other agencies engaged in development of ICT sector, in the activities of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the Asia Pacific Telecommunity (APT). "India has opened up the space to the private sector and the way the policy has evolved, it is going to bring in a lot of new jobs, a lot of new investment," Bhatia told ANI. In India, the space sector has been liberalised and private sector allowed to carry out end to end space activities. Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe) was created in Department of Space for promoting, authorising and overseeing the activities of Non-Government Entities (NGEs) in space sector. The number of Space Start-Ups in India have gone up, from just 1 in 2014 to around 266 as of end of 2024, government data showed. "We believe just like what's happening in the US, we will have a lot of Indian companies working in the area of space and creating a lot of opportunities for it is going to provide a lot of job opportunities," he supplemented. He also termed TRAI recommendations on opening up the communications sector as "pro industry ". "India has been working on a policy framework for opening the communication sector to the private and the TRAI has given the recommendations earlier this year in May, and DoT (Department of Telecommunications) is now trying to finalise those recommendations. These are very good recommendations actually. They are very pro industry," he said. Noting that a significant portion of remote places in India still remains unconnected, he said satellite internet services will help connect them. Dr Laura Roberti, Director for Spectrum and Market Access in Telesat, said there is a "strong wish, a desire, a need for satellite services, for additional satellite services in India." Tony Azzarelli of OneWeb said they have been working on providing services in India, pending regulatory approval. "We've been very busy for the past 2 years to provide services in India. We're just waiting for the final touches of the regulations, which are actually very important," he told ANI. In countries like India in general, he said there is room for all the players, both the GSO and non-GSO players. Satellite telecom in India will help the country provide much-needed services in remote interior places where conventional telecom services tend to be costly.
Time of India
26-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
India proposes to address unauthorised non-GSO activities as space sector booms
NEW DELHI: India, led by the ITU-APT Foundation of India ( IAFI ), Isro and government officials, has proposed to address the unauthorised non-geostationary satellite orbit (non-GSO) earth station operations within the fixed-satellite service (FSS) and mobile-satellite service (MSS) segments. To this extent, the IAFI presented a detailed proposal at the International Telecommunication Union's (ITU) Working Party 4A and 4C meetings held in Shanghai, China, recently. 'The proposal, presented by Bharat Bhatia, president of IAFI, received strong support from participating member states and marked a significant step in global regulatory discussions ahead of the World Radiocommunication Conference 2027 (WRC-27),' said IAFI. The Central government developed the proposal along with IAFI, the statement added. India's submission presented clear methodologies to strengthen the enforcement of existing frameworks while 'preserving the integrity and growth of legitimate non-GSO activities', as per the statement. 'India's proposal reflects our deep commitment to ensuring the responsible and sustainable use of the satellite spectrum and orbital resources. As the space industry continues to grow rapidly, there is an urgent need for global cooperation in curbing unauthorised operations that could threaten the stability of satellite services,' Bhatia said.
