Photo: Wikimedia.

Intelsat is expanding its FlexMaritime service to reach vessels traveling in Indian territorial waters, the global satellite operator announced November 22.

The expansion, which gives Indian-registered vessels access to Intelsat’s high throughput maritime network, will take place after the operator commences operations at a new gateway in Noida, India with its regional partner, Cloudcast. Intelsat expects service in India’s waters to become available at the beginning of 2022 through various regional solutions partners.

India is both an elusive and lucrative market for mobile satellite services. According to India’s Ministry of Shipping, approximately 95% of India’s trading by volume and 70% by value is done through maritime transport. Intelsat, which already claims to serve more than 8,000 vessels with its FlexMaritime service, expects investment in cracking India’s market to pay off with new subscriber returns.

“The completion of this regulatory milestone means customers of our FlexMaritime solutions partners will immediately benefit from the well-known power, performance and resilience of the FlexMaritime service in Indian waters,” Intelsat Senior Vice President of Mobility Mark Rasmussen said in a statement. “The network expansion also demonstrates Intelsat’s commitment to mobility services providing yet another new dimension of global trade with access for Indian companies.”