Who are the users of VSAT networks?
In India, all top 300 corporates have VSAT networks. They have been used for various reasons. Some corporates link their branches or projects in rural areas. Then there are companies using it to get access to timely information by implementing ERP solutions. Now this is something interesting. The US Department of Post is installing a huge VSAT network. I think that there would be around 30,000 VSATs all over the US. In fact, this project is already under implementation. How price competitive would the VSAT services in India be? Extremely competitive, I would say. There are essentially three types of VSAT networks. There is the TDM/DAMA, the Meshed, and the Star type of VSAT networks. The Meshed networks can facilitate data, voice, and multimedia transfers, reliably at high speeds. Essentially broadband services. The Star network is ideally suited for transaction based applications. Generally, a single VSAT connection would cost around Rs.2,70,000 to Rs.3,50,000. The services would cost
