US-based semiconductor firm Qualcomm has said it is aiming at achieving maximum growth in the Indian broadband services segment. Though it is not making any chips for satellite communications, it is working with partners to participate in that segment as well, a senior official said on Thursday.
The company said it has the Wi-Fi that goes with the satellite communication (Satcom) chips into the product, so there are opportunities in the future.
“Today, we don’t have a direct satellite communication chipset for broadband communication. However, we have the Wi-Fi pairing up with some of the vendors that are supplying broadband and Satcom services,” Rahul Patel, Group General Manager, Connectivity, Broadband & Networking (CBN), Qualcomm Technologies, told businessline.
The best thing is that broadband through 5G and sub-6 GHz is possible in India and the future technologies that are going to develop are based on various spectrum which are already allocated to all the operators, he said.
Broadband services
In the broadband services, Patel said India has an ample of opportunities with 1.5 billion people. Assuming even five per cent are using these services, we have 300 million homes to connect broadband services.
“Just comparing that to the United States where there are 300 million people altogether…here 300 million homes (broadband) versus 300 million people, so it’s a vastly different equation. Affordability is also very different… on an average, while the Indian subscriber is progressing in terms of affordability, we’re nowhere close to some of the rest of the world,” he noted.
An Indian broadband subscriber is paying less than $5 whereas in the west, it is anywhere from $50 to $100 per month. Therefore, commercial equations are very different, he said.
Therefore, companies like Qualcomm can create a “win-win” strategy — win for the consumers and win for the operators by developing cost effective solutions, Patel said.
Published on April 24, 2025
