Government issues licenses for satellite earth station gateway and teleport as an alternative to optical fiber

 Government issues licenses for satellite earth station gateway and teleport as an alternative to optical fiber

The government is going to open licenses for satellite earth station gateway and teleport services. The regulator Nepal Telecommunications Authority has decided to operate and regulate communication services based on satellite technology in Nepal.

The board meeting of the authority has taken a special policy decision in this regard in Shrawan 2083 and has already fixed the license (license) fee and renewal fee, informed spokesperson Min Prasad Aryal. According to him, the regulator has recommended to the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology to open the satellite earth station gateway and teleport service. With this decision of the authority, it is expected that the door will open for the construction of modern satellite communication infrastructure in Nepal.

What is satellite earth station gateway and teleport?

Satellite Earth Station Gateway (SESG) or Earth Station (Geo-Center) refers to the infrastructure that exchanges data and signals between satellites in space and communication networks or local area networks on the ground. It is an integral part of the ground segment of the satellite communication network.

Its main function is to receive signals sent from the satellite in a safe and quality manner and to send signals from the ground to the satellite. Usually, these stations are equipped with equipment such as powerful receiving antennas, feed horns, waveguides, amplifiers and receivers. Depending on the communication needs, earth stations are of a two-way nature that only transmits signals (Transmit), only receives (Receive) or performs both functions simultaneously (Transmit-Receive).

How does it work?

Infrastructure operators that obtain a license for Satellite Earth Station Gateway (SESG) do not directly provide end-to-end telecommunications services such as Internet or broadcasting to general users. Instead, they prepare the necessary communication infrastructure and satellite resources by contracting with satellite operators and make those resources available to other companies that have licenses for telecommunications and broadcasting services.

Under this arrangement, telecom, internet and television service providers will no longer have to set up their own separate expensive gateways. They will be able to operate their services by connecting their base band (communication equipment) to the gateway operator's station. This will greatly reduce the infrastructure construction costs of telecommunication and broadcasting service providers.

International practice and Nepal's preparation

In neighboring India, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has also made a policy provision for a separate license for Satellite Earth Station Gateways. This has been implemented under the Telecommunication Act there. In India, its license is issued at the national level, which has a period of 20 years and can be renewed for an additional 10 years. In India, an entry fee of 1 million Indian rupees has been fixed for this, while since the service is not provided directly to the consumer, there is a legal provision to charge only a token fee annually.

In Nepal, too, the Telecommunication Authority has recommended the Nepal Government to open this service by setting the necessary fee structure, considering such international practice and commercial needs.

What will be the long-term impact?

Satellite technology is considered very important for a geographically remote and mountainous country like Nepal. Once this recommendation of the Authority is approved by the Ministry of Communications and implemented, it is expected that there will be a massive improvement in the quality of satellite-based high-speed internet (satellite broadband), telecommunication services and television broadcasting in Nepal.

This decision is expected to prove to be a milestone for Nepal's technology sector, especially in providing communication access to mountainous, remote and ultra-remote areas where traditional fiber or wireless networks do not reach. Not only this, it will also serve as an alternative to optical fiber for Nepal's connectivity with the international internet network. So that if there is any problem in the optical fiber connecting to the world via India via land, it will be possible to maintain the essential internet service regularly.