Bengaluru: NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), the commercial arm of Isro, has installed nearly 400 mobile satellite services (MSS) terminals in fishing vessels as part of an ambitious project that covers about one lakh vessels across nine coastal states and four Union Territories.
Under the Vessel Communication and Support system (VCS) programme, the MSS terminals, or Xponders, are being installed on mechanised and motorised fishing vessels.
The Bengaluru-based NSIL is pitching the project as critical to ensuring fishermen’s safety and security along maritime borders, and addressing national security threats. By facilitating two-way communication at sea, the terminals are also equipped to aid rescue operations.
D Radhakrishnan, Chairman and Managing Director, NSIL, told DH that the company was planning to complete the installation of the systems in about one lakh fishing vessels by the end of the year. The two-way MSS terminal for tracking of small boats was developed by Isro's Space Applications Centre in Ahmedabad; the technology was subsequently transferred to the industry. Three Indian companies—Saankhya Labs, Avantel, and Accord Software and Systems—are supplying and installing the Xponders.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi formally launched the national rollout of the VCS programme, in Maharashtra, on August 30. The programme is envisioned on a budget of Rs 360 crore.
“The project also involves the establishment of peripherals that include a ground station, control and monitoring stations, and the relevant applications. At present, these MSS terminals are working on capacity provided by the S-band communication satellite GSAT-6. After the satellite ends its service, in a year or two, the GSAT N-3 (NSIL’s upcoming demand-driven communication satellite) will provide the services,” Radhakrishnan said.
The Xponders come with built-in Wi-Fi/Bluetooth transceivers. They enable communication with mobile phones through an accompanying app that also supports local languages. The app has features including SOS alerts, weather updates, potential fishing zone information, and drop-pin functionality, NSIL said.
The VCS programme is aimed at establishing a dedicated MSS network for monitoring, control, and surveillance of fishing vessels. NSIL, a company constituted under the Department of Space, is leading the programme on behalf of the Department of Fisheries.