Hughes Communications India (HCIPL), a majority owned subsidiary of Hughes Network Systems and Bharti Airtel have formed a joint venture to provide satellite broadband services in India.

The agreement was initially announced in May 2019 and all statutory approvals regarding the tie-up, including those from the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) and department of telecommunications (DoT) have been received and the joint venture has been formed.

Operational as HCIPL, the entity combines the very small aperture terminal (VSAT) businesses of both companies to offer flexible and scalable enterprise networking solutions using satellite connectivity for primary transport, back-up and hybrid implementation.

“We are pleased to commence this joint venture, further delivering on our commitment to serve the growing demand for always on, always available network connectivity for enterprise and government customers,” said Partho Banerjee, president and managing director, HCIPL.

Ajay Chitkara, director and chief executive officer, Airtel Business, said: “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”.

Now serving Airtel VSAT customers, HCIPL has a combined base of over 200,000 VSATs. The company is the largest satellite service operator in India. HCIPL provides broadband networking technologies, solutions and services, including a full range of managed network services, for government offices and enterprises across segments like banking, aeronautical and maritime mobility, small to medium sized businesses, education, and telecom backhaul, among others.