The National Digital Communication Policy-2018 was launched by the Government of India in the year 2018 with a vision to fulfill the information and communication needs of citizens and enterprises through the establishment of a ubiquitous, resilient, secure, accessible and affordable Digital Communications Infrastructure. This has led to improvement in the telecom infrastructure and increase in the coverage and affordability of the telecommunication services across the nation.

Prerequisites:

• Institutional & political interest and support for utilising SatCom technologies for services 

• Understand national 

policies and identify national policies that utilise SatCom

• Identify and build relationships with stakeholders involved in policy implementation

• Access to SatCom capabilities

• Spectrum policy & coordination with telecom regulator; ITU procedures where applicable

Cost:

• Ballpark: USD 20k–250k

• Includes: literature review and baseline study, stakeholder consultations report drafting and validation,legal reveiw, parliamentary passage/decress if needed

Timeframe:

• Overall: 12–24 mo

• Phase: scoping & consultations (3–6 mo), draft policy/legal review (4–8 mo), approval & adoption (5–10 mo)

Pros:

• Streamlined Funding and Implementation - Ease funding access and facilitate project implementation.

• Policy Alignment - Ensure policy consistency and facilitates government support.

• Strategic Sovereignty - Promote national autonomy in digital infrastructure by integrating indigenous SatCom capabilities into policy-driven initiatives.

Considerations:

• Policy Implementation Lag - Supporting and implementing national policies requires time.

• Complex Stakeholder Coordination - Coordinating efforts across various stakeholders such as governmental departments can be complex.