External ground delays holding up GSAT-9 benefits
Madhumathi D.S.BENGLAURU, OCTOBER 14, 2017 21:49 ISTUPDATED: OCTOBER 14, 2017 21:58 IST
Speed in Bhutan
In the case of Bhutan, Mr. Kiran Kumar said there had been significant progress and many interactions, because of which “We are going ahead” faster than with the others.
To begin with, ISRO has enabled video transmission uplinked from India. Once the countries start using their part of satellite fully, he said it could open or spur activities for poor and unconnected areas — tele-education and tele-medicine or consultations with doctors; besides a SAARC library link of regionally relevant information.
India has offered each country one Ku-band transponder free of cost along with services. The gesture is meant to spread the use of DTH television and VSATs to support Internet-based applications.
The South Asia Satellite was first announced by the Prime Minister in 2014. India itself has been grappling with an old shortage of Ku-band transponders — because of which Indian DTH operators lease their capacity on private foreign satellites.
Asked about it, Mr. Kiran Kumar said sharing amidst scarcity was a generous act for the larger good.
