Mumbai: Hughes Communications India Pvt Ltd (HCIPL) and Bharti Airtel have announced the formation of a joint venture to provide satellite broadband services in India.

The new entity operational as HCIPL combines the very small aperture terminal (VSAT) businesses of both companies to offer flexible and scalable enterprise network solutions using satellite connectivity for primary transport, back-up, and hybrid implementation. Now serving Airtel VSAT customers, HCIPL has a combined base of over 200,000 VSATs and is the largest satellite service operator in the country.

The agreement, announced in May 2019, has received all statutory approvals, including those from the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) and Department of Telecom (Government of India) and the joint venture has been formed.

“We are pleased to commence this joint venture, further delivering on our commitment to serving the growing demand for always on, always available network connectivity for enterprise and government customers,” said HCIPL president and managing director Partho Banerjee. “Combining the proven capabilities of both Hughes and Airtel, the partnership will bring synergies to the forefront – including multi-orbit solutions – for the benefit of customers across the length and breadth of India.”

“We, at Airtel, are focused on supporting and accelerating the digital transformation journeys of our customers through an integrated solutions portfolio,” said Airtel Business director and chief executive officer Ajay Chitkara. “With the combined capabilities of Airtel and Hughes, customers will get access to next-generation satellite connectivity backed by proven enterprise-grade security and service support.”