On Sunday, executive chairman of satellite communication service provider OneWeb, Sunil Bharti Mittal, stated that while the company is able to match the mobile services rates of Western countries, it cannot compete with the "extremely low" tariffs of mobile services in India.
Mittal explained that if a community of 30-40 homes in a village use OneWeb services, they will be affordable and on par with mobile rates. However, individual use in India will be more expensive compared to existing mobile services plans. Mittal also noted that some governments overseas have deployed universal services obligation funds to reduce the cost of satellite broadband services for their citizens.
The recent launch of 36 Low Earth Orbit satellites by OneWeb has increased the total count of its constellation to 618 satellites. Mittal also discussed the setbacks faced by OneWeb due to the Russia-Ukraine war, and India's emergence as a serious player in the space industry.
He expects all necessary permissions for OneWeb's services launch in India to be in place by July-August, and the company will sell its service through partners instead of selling it directly.
