Sunset over New Delhi, India. Photo: Wikimedia.

Ipstar International has chosen Hughes Network Systems’ Jupiter System to extend the reach of broadband throughout India. Ipstar will operate the Jupiter System over the Thaicom 4 High-Throughput Satellite (HTS) in India, enabling government-owned service provider Bharat Sanchar Nigam (BSNL) to offer fixed and mobile services as part of the government’s “Digital India” initiative. The initiative aims to raise the quality of life by extending broadband to rural and urban areas across the country.

According to Hughes, new Jupiter-powered services will be five times faster than any satellite internet access currently available in India, offering speeds up to 100 Mbps. It will also be the first deployment of the bandwidth-efficient Digital Video Broadcasting–Satellite Second Generation (DVB-S2X) standard in India.

According to Hughes, the Jupiter System incorporates a second-generation System on a Chip (SoC-2) and a new family of broadband Very Small Aperture Terminals (VSATs) to yield improved operating economics for satellite service providers, notably through efficient allocation of bandwidth available for sale to customers.