Bangalore: The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is going to launch a satellite next year, which will provide satellite phone (sat phone) services in India. The satellite will carry a large S-band transponder to help India provide its own signals for satellite phones.

The ISRO team is in the process of building a high-beam antenna, which will be deployed on board for providing (sat phone) services.

Former Indian space agency chairman G Madhavan Nair said at a meeting of the India Semiconductor Association’s (ISA’s) Vision Summit that after the launching of the satellite, it can be connected with handheld devices.

International Maritime Satellite Organization (INMARSAT) use handheld devices to operate constellation of geo-stationary satellites that provide phone, fax and data communications through hand-held devices across the world.

India currently depends on foreign satellite services, but very soon it will become a major player in use of satellite phones and this might also help bring down the cost of satellite phone services.

On being asked about the weaponisation of space programme, Nair said that effective measures were being taken to protect the country’s space assets, but their declared policy is to use the space assets for peaceful purposes only.