South Asian Air Travelers Rejoice

Formed at the behest of John F. Kennedy as the International Telecommunications Satellite Organization, the company known today as Intelsat—from 1964 until 2001—functioned as an intergovernmental consortium, owning and managing a constellation of communications satellites.

In 2022, Intelsat operates a fleet of 52 satellites providing international broadcast services to some 1,800 customer organizations.

In August 2022, Intelsat announced an agreement with Nelco—India’s leading satellite communication service provider—by which the latter will provide in-flight connectivity (IFC) services to aircraft operating in Indian skies. The agreement is a boon for Intelsat’s airline partners and South-Asian air-travelers who will henceforth enjoy end-to-end broadband coverage on domestic and international aircraft flying to or from Indian airports or transitioning the country’s airspace.

Intelsat president of commercial aviation Jeff Sare states: “In addition to expanding our service coverage area for current customer airlines, our agreement with Nelco opens the possibility for Intelsat to serve India’s domestic airlines. This is a fast-growing airline market, and there is considerable untapped potential for IFC growth.”

Intelsat’s service affords airline passengers seamless in-flight connectivity to their homes, offices, social media accounts, and preferred entertainments. Moreover, subject service allows airlines to differentiate themselves, enhance their customers’ onboard experiences, and ultimately engender passenger loyalty.

Nelco managing director and CEO P.J. Nath states: “We are proud that Nelco has forged this relationship with in-flight connectivity pioneer Intelsat to offer Aero IFC services on their customer aircraft. As India’s leading Satcom service provider offering best-in-class services, we are now creating a great opportunity through this relationship with Intelsat for further growth of our Aero IFC services in the country in the coming years – and we intend to be a leader in this market in India.”

Nelco has been offering IFC services for more than two years and plans—by way of Intelsat’s IS-33E high-throughput satellite—to introduce its services to more airlines.

Launched in 2016, IS-33E provides C and Ku-band connectivity to regions of Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. Recent approval by Indian government regulators has laid out a path by which Nelco will provide air-travelers over and throughout India seamless in-flight connectivity with neither service interruptions nor blackout zones.

FMI: www.nelco.in