BSNL and Viasat to upgrade Indian Navy’s satellite comms infrastructure

Details: John Tanner; Category: Satellite Networks; 16 January 2026; 6832 views

Indian state-owned telco Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) and global satellite company Viasat announced on Thursday they are teaming up to help modernise the Indian Navy’s satellite communications infrastructure.

Under an agreement signed between BSNL and the Indian Defense Forces, the Indian Navy will use Viasat’s Ka-band satellite systems alongside its existing L-band infrastructure to deliver enhanced, resilient, and secure connectivity for Indian naval platforms.

Viasat said the project will enable the Navy to transition toward a multi-band, multi-constellation satellite communications strategy by leveraging BSNL’s gateway earth station and Viasat’s global satellite network to provide expanded coverage, higher throughput and improved reliability for mission-critical operations.

Todd McDonell, president of Viasat’s international government segment, said the upgrade “combines the resilience of L-band with the power of high-throughput Ka-band, providing enhanced connectivity for mission-critical operations.”

Viasat India’s MD Gautam Sharma said the equipment for the project has already arrived in India and installation activities are set to begin this month.