Under Remote and Rural Area Communications using MCPC-VSATs, 245 VSATs are operating in the DOT network and another 102 are being added. High speed VSAT Network (HVNET) terminals are being offered on lease for data-only terminal and for data and voice services. Seventeen long distance subscriber telephone terminals are operational and 20 more are under consideration. The Bangalore-Delhi digital network with two 34 Mbps streams has been commissioned. Augmentation of existing eight Mbps connectivities amongst four metropolitan cities is planned by using digital channel multiplexing equipment.

Captive satellite-based networks for National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), Gas Authority of India Ltd (GAIL), Nuclear Power Corporation (NPC), Indian Telephone Industries (ITI), Oil and Natural Gas Commission (ONGC), National Fertilisers Limited (NFL) and Coal India Limited (CIL) are operational. A CIL earth station at Poonch has been commissioned. The National Stock Exchange (NSE) VSAT network in extended C-band is operational. A number of captive government networks are also working with INSAT. More organisations are in the process of implementing their own captive networks using INSAT capacity. DOT has licensed a few private operators to provide value-added services to the public using the extended C-band.

With the launch of INSAT-2C in December 1995, an S-band Mobile Satellite Service (MSS) was added to the INSAT system on an experimental basis. The following two classes of services were identified for MSS:

• INSAT Mobile Telephony, which consists of low bit rate encoded voice, data and fax services using demand assigned SCPC channels, with mobile and portable (suit-case size) terminals. Five terminals have been installed as pre-operational service. The INSAT-MSS is targeted at land mobile and maritime users. The hub for INSAT-MSS services is located at Bangalore.

• INSAT Reporting System, which consists of low bit rate one-way reporting service using shared channels with portable and hand-held terminals. This one-way messaging from a remote location to user-headquarters operates with the Delhi Earth Station (DES) of DOS as the Hub. Short messages from user terminals are relayed through the satellite to the Hub and are automatically forwarded to the respective user headquarters via Fax or data links. This reporting service is provided using small hand-held terminals. The network manager at the Hub keeps track of the destination addresses for the mobile user messages and forwards it through fax or data interfaces. There is a provision to attach a GPS receiver to the reporting terminal for position information.

INSAT has been a major catalyst for the rapid expansion of television coverage in India. At present, 33 TV channels are operating through the C-band transponders of INSAT system as follows:

• National networking service (DD-1), Metro service (DD-2) and Digital Satellite News Gathering (DSNG) service.

• Regional services in Kerala, Karnataka, Jammu & Kashmir, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Maharashtra, Punjab, North-Eastern States, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Orissa, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh.

At present, 1,199 transmitters are working in the INSAT system out of which 1,104 transmitters (92 HPTs, 711 LPTs and 280 VLPTs) and 21 transposers are working in the DD-1 network and 90 TV Transmitters (39 HPTs, 45 LPTs and 6 VLPTs) are working in the DD-2 network. Three HPTs and two LPTs are used for other services.

Programmes for university students are produced by Education Media Research Centres and Audio Visual Research Centres at different places. These programmes provide quality education within the reach of students in small towns and villages. Syllabus-based programmes for students enrolled in Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) are also relayed on this channel.

Press Trust of India (PTI) is implementing a system to provide its news and information services at higher speed and increased volume and variety directly to a wider range of media and other users by utilising the broadcast facilities of INSAT. The project utilises a Radio Networking (RN) type of channel on one of the broadcast (CxS) transponders of the satellite. The PTI satellite news and facsimile dissemination project is working with 15 terminals (14 from PTI and one shared with AIR).

Radio Networking
Radio Networking (RN) through INSAT provides a reliable high-fidelity 10/15 kHz programme channels for national as well as regional networking. At present, 208 All India Radio (AIR) stations have been equipped with S-band receive terminals and 37 with C-band terminals. The RN system primarily uses CxS band transponder of INSAT in Single Channel Per Carrier (SCPC) mode. The RN carriers are injected at a low level into the high power CxS band transponders along with the TV carrier. The programmes received on these S-band receive terminals are rebroadcast by terrestrial transmitters. Interactive exchange of programmes also takes place between any two or more uplink stations.

There are 45 RN channels operating at present — 36 in S-band and 9 in C-band. Single channel captive uplink earth stations have been provided at 20 major programme producing centres (Srinagar, Ahmedabad, Bhopal, Cuttack, Patna, Guwahati, Shillong Thiruvananthapuram, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Jaipur, Shimla, Lucknow, Imphal, Kohima, Agartala, Aijwal, Chennai, Borivili and Hanagai). The captive earth station at Broadcasting House (BH), Mumbai is providing uplink of two Vividh Bharati channels.

The earth station at Broadcast House at Delhi, has been augmented to provide uplink for seven RN carriers in CxS band and four in CxC band. Four RN carriers are uplinked from Sikanderabad station of DOT for national networking.

C-band RN carriers are being received by 37 AIR stations. Transportable uplink terminals have been acquired by AIR for coverage of events taking place at remote locations and for relay of programmes directly from the spot via INSAT. AIR has also acquired DSNG RN terminals which are capable of uplinking CD quality music channel from any remote locations to a central place such as Delhi.

Andhra Pradesh is setting up an integrated satellite network for the purpose of distance education, health care and rural development. The network envisages Internet facilities to villages in Andhra Pradesh. It is proposed to utilize IP based Digital Transmission Technologies and DVB techniques
for establishing this network. DOS is providing consultancy and transponder capacity for
the network.

In Gujarat, DOS has set up the up-link and studio with funding by State Government. The system is operational since August 2000. The Training programmes are being conducted regularly. In addition, engineering college network is now used on a daily basis. Various user departments have set up about 200 DRS.

The Karnataka State Government has decided to fund the total TDCC network for the state. The up-link has been established and the studio installation is in progress. The conversion of existing
DRS at 20 district locations to digital and installation of new DRS at 175 block locations are in progress. An engineering college network is also
being established.

In Orissa, training programmes are being conducted for 5 to 10 days a month using the Fly-Away Terminal (FAT) located at the Cuttack Studio. The DRS network includes all 30 districts and 80 blocks in (Koraput-Bolangir-Kalahandi) districts. The network is proposed to be upgraded using VSAT options to cater to various other services such as E-governance, NRIS, DMS, etc.

For the North Eastern Space Applications Centre (NE-SAC), several DRS have been installed and the training programme is expected to commence soon.

For the Andaman and Nicobar Islands 7 locations are proposed to be covered in the first phase. Priority will be given for interactive training programmes for field functionaries, educational institutes and schools.

For Goa, the uplink and studio have been established by the Goa University. The training of resource persons has been carried out. The DRS network covers 20 locations, which will be expanded to cover additional 80 locations.

The follow up action on a pilot proposal for Jhalwad and Baran districts in Rajasthan is being taken up. An assessment of available studio equipment and other facilities has been made.

New technologies are being used in TDCC network for multimedia lecture delivery and interactive distance learning. The network is being converted to digital mode to improve the capacity and quality of the system. It will also enable off-line downloading of lessons from servers at teaching end by the students.

JDCP, which was started on November 1, 1996, is aimed at setting up an operational satellite-based broadcast and interactive network for developmental communication and training. More than 2000 programmes have been produced and broadcast in JDCP network
so far. The impact of JDCP project shows significant gain in knowledge among the viewers. Based on the encouraging results, JDCP has been expanded to more than 1000 villages in Jhabua, Dhar and Barwani.  The network is also being converted to digital TV technology.

Telemedicine
Telemedicine is a recent application of the satellite communications that makes specialised medical facility available to the remote areas of the country. The expert consultancy could be obtained for the patients in remote areas from specialists in speciality hospitals in cities. Five VSAT terminals have been set up for telemedicine in Chamarajanagar, Kenchanahalli, Bangalore, Kolkata and Tripura which are networked with a hub on shared basis. Port Blair in Andaman and Nicobar islands, and Leh in Jammu & Kashmir and Lakshadweep are also being provided with telemedicine facilities. ISRO has already provided its SPACENET terminals to a private hospital at Chennai and a rural Hospital at Argonda in Andhra Pradesh for telemedicine network. The Hospital at ISRO’s SHAR Centre, at Sriharikota is also being connected to this spacenet for telemedicine.

Meteorology
The meteorological data provided by INSAT is processed and disseminated by the INSAT Meteorological Data Processing System (IMDPS) of India Meteorological Department (IMD). Upper winds, sea surface temperature and precipitation index data are regularly obtained. The 6 am GMT (Greenwich Mean Time), VHRR (Very High Resolution Radiometer) image-derived
wind data are provided on Global Telecommunications System (GTS) of the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO). The 3 am GMT full disc infrared pictures are transmitted as radio facsimile broadcast daily for reception in the neighbouring countries.

INSAT-VHRR imageries are used by Doordarshan during news coverage and by newspapers as part of weather reporting. At present, repetitive and synoptic weather system observations over Indian Ocean from geostationary orbit are available only from INSAT system. The INSAT-VHRR data is available in near real-time at 32 Meteorological Data Dissemination Centres (MDDC) in various parts of the country. With the commissioning of direct satellite service for processed VHRR data, MDDC type of data can now be provided at any location in the country.

One hundred meteorological Data Collection Platforms (DCPs) have been installed all over the country and also at Schiramacher, the Indian base station in Antarctica. The DCP services are provided using the Data Relay Transponders of INSAT-2B. Central Water Commission (CWC) and Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment (SASE) are using INSAT for real-time hydro-meteorological data collection in the Mahanadi and Chambal basins. Narmada Control Authority (NCA) is also planning to use the INSAT DRT data.

About 250 Cyclone Warning Dissemination System (CWDS) receivers have been installed
in the cyclone-prone coastal areas of Andhra Pradesh, north Tamil Nadu, Orissa, West Bengal and Gujarat, with DWS uplink from Chennai, Mumbai and Kolkata. The receivers are selectively addressable.

A cooperative agreement has also been signed with the European meteorological satellite, EUMETSAT, for using data from METEOSAT-5 satellite, which is located at 63 degree east longitude in exchange for weather pictures of India’s INSAT.

Satellite Aided Search and Rescue (SAS&R)
As a member of the international COSPAS-SARSAT programme for providing distress alert and position location service through LEOSAR (Low Earth Orbit Search And Rescue) satellite system, India has established two Local User Terminals (LUTs) one at Lucknow and the other at Bangalore.

In addition, INSAT-2B is equipped with 406 MHz Search and Rescue payload, which picks up and relays alert signals originating from the distress beacons of maritime, aviation and land users. Based on the performance demonstrations of INSAT, the system has now been adopted as an integral part of the international COSPAS-SARSAT system for satellite-aided search and rescue operations complementing the LEOSAR system.

Indian LUTs provide coverage to a large part of Indian Ocean providing distress alert services to Bangladesh, Bhutan, Kenya, Maldives, Nepal, Seychelles, Somalia, Sri Lanka and Tanzania. The operations of INMCC/LUT are funded by the participating agencies, namely, Coast Guard, Airports Authority of India (AAI) and Director General of Shipping and Services.

INSAT-GEOSAR Local User Terminal (GEO LUT), located at Bangalore, is integrated with INMCC. The distress alert messages originating from the Indian service area are detected at INMCC which are passed on to Indian Coast Guard and Rescue Coordination Centres (RCCs) at Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi and Chennai. Coast Guard, Navy and Air Force carry out the search and rescue activities. The INMCC is linked to the RCCs and other international MCCs through automatic telex and Aeronautical Fixed Telecommunication Network (AFTN). The Indian LUTs and MCC provide service round the clock and maintains the data base of all 406 MHz registered beacons equipped on Indian ships and aircraft.

The Indian search and rescue system has detected and supported the following three real distress signals that resulted in the rescue of 40 people during the year.

1. Indian MCC picked-up a 121.5 MHz distress signal on March 26, 2001 from a private aircraft that crashed in Maharashtra (Nasik). The information was also provided by the villagers. All the six people on-board survived.

2. On June 12, 2001, Indian MCC picked up a 406 MHz distress signal, which originated from a Singapore registered oil tanker that sank in Arabian Sea after an explosion. Out of 42 crew, 38 were rescued by the Indian Coast Guard. The signal was first detected by INSAT-2B that gave a crucial advantage of 48 minutes for rescue operations.

3. On July 11, 2001, Indian MCC supported the rescue of two school girls from a 17 member UK team which was on an expedition to Himalayas. The team activated their 406 MHz beacon when the two members fell sick due to high altitude pulmonary breathing problem. INMCC was the first to detect and report the incident to East-West Rescue in Delhi.

Standard Time and Frequency Signal Dissemination
A Standard Time and Frequency Signal Dissemination Service (STFSDS), using a Radio Networking (RN) type of CxS carrier on INSAT-2B, is being operated by the National Physical Laboratory (NPL). This service is available round-the-clock in a broadcast mode in S-band and it can be received on a system consisting of a 2.4 m diameter antenna, a front-end converter, an FM demodulator and a microprocessor controlled signal decoder. The STFSDS consists of a train of frequency modulated 5 kHz bursts signal. The time has a precision better than one micro-second and an accuracy better than 20 micro seconds.

Satellite Navigation
The Ministry of Civil Aviation has decided to implement an indigenous satellite-based regional GPS augmentation system also known as Space-Based Augmentation System (SBAS) —
as part of the satellite-based communications, navigation and surveillance (CNS)/air traffic management (ATM) plan for civil aviation. A national plan for satellite navigation has been prepared jointly by Airports Authority of India (AAI) and DOS for implementing a Technology Demonstration System (TDS) over the Indian airspace for proof of concept. The TDS will be the first step towards implementing an operational SBAS system.

The SBAS is planned to be implemented in three phases—Technology Demonstration System (TDS), Initial Experimental Phase (IEP) and Final Operational Phase (FOP). The Indian SBAS system is expected to bridge the gap between the European EGNOS (European Geo-stationary Navigation Overlay System) and the Japanese MSAS (MTSAT Space Augmentation System) to provide seamless navigation of aircraft from west to east and vice versa. An organisational structure for implementation of the TDS and the Initial Experimental System has been formalised. When implemented, the Indian SBAS system is expected to play an important role in the introduction of satellite- based navigation services in Asia and the Pacific region.

The Indian SBAS system will be known as GAGAN (GPS And GEO Augmented Navigation).