Intelsat and Nelco deal opens up India’s inflight connectivity markets

Intelsat has entered into a contract with Nelco, India’s leading satellite communication service, which allows Intelsat to provide its inflight connectivity (IFC) services over Indian airspace. The agreement enables Intelsat’s airline partners to offer end-to-end broadband coverage on domestic and international aircraft flying to or from an Indian airport, as well as aircraft flying over the country.

“In addition to expanding our service coverage area for current customer airlines, our agreement with Nelco opens the possibility for Intelsat to serve India’s domestic airlines,” said Jeff Sare, president of commercial aviation at Intelsat. “This is a fast-growing airline market, and there is considerable untapped potential for IFC growth.”

Intelsat’s IFC service enables airline passengers a seamless at-home and in-office connectivity experience. Further, it allows an airline to differentiate itself, enhancing the passenger experience while driving passenger loyalty and optimising flight operations.

PJ Nath, managing director and CEO of Nelco added, “We are proud that Nelco has forged this relationship with in-flight connectivity pioneer Intelsat to offer Aero IFC services on their customer aircraft. As India’s leading Satcom service provider offering best-in-class services, we are now creating a great opportunity through this relationship with Intelsat for further growth of our Aero IFC services in the country in the coming years – and we intend to be a leader in this market in India.”

Nelco has offered the Aero IFC services for more than two years, and plans to introduce these services to more airlines in collaboration with its global partners. Nelco will provide these services using Intelsat’s IS-33e high-throughput satellite. IS-33e, launched in 2016, provides C and Ku-band connectivity to parts of Asia, Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Intelsat’s IS-33e satellite is approved by Indian government regulators, which paves the way for coverage with no interruptions or blackout zones.