Eutelsat Provides Satellite Connectivity for Indian Navy’s Project Kaundinya Voyage

European satellite communications firm Eutelsat is providing its OneWeb low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite connectivity to the INSV Kaundinya team, part of the Indian Navy undertaking a historic voyage of national importance.

Project Kaundinya is a landmark expedition aboard INSV Kaundinya, a traditionally built stitched-plank sailing vessel inspired by ancient Indian shipbuilding techniques. The voyage retraces historic maritime trade routes, showcasing India’s rich seafaring legacy while promoting maritime innovation and national pride.

OneWeb’s LEO satellite connectivity has been deployed and remains operational onboard the vessel, enabling reliable, real-time communications throughout the journey, the company said in a statement on Wednesday.

Given the vessel’s traditional design and the absence of conventional communication infrastructure, OneWeb’s LEO technology served as the sole connectivity link for the expedition, it added.

The voyage is being documented along its route, with live updates enabled through OneWeb’s satellite network.

Neha Idnani, Regional Vice President for APAC at Eutelsat and Board Director of OneWeb India, said, “We are honoured that Eutelsat has been entrusted with enabling connectivity for this historic voyage. I congratulate the team behind INSV Kaundinya on achieving this remarkable milestone and safely reaching their first destination, Muscat, Oman. Project Kaundinya represents a rare convergence of India’s rich maritime heritage, national ambition and technological innovation. Our OneWeb LEO technology is purpose-built for mission-critical environments, where crew safety, security, resilience and real-time communications are essential.”

Sanjeev Sanyal, Member of the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council (EAC-PM), a core crew member and the project architect of Kaundinya, said, “Throughout the voyage, having reliable satellite connectivity from Airtel OneWeb has been invaluable for the crew. It has allowed us to stay connected with shore-based teams, supporting communication, live feeds and, above all, morale during long and sometimes challenging periods at sea.”

Bharti Airtel-backed Eutelsat is one of the key satellite communications players in India awaiting spectrum allocation from the Department of Telecommunications to begin commercial services. Eutelsat, along with Jio and Starlink, has received most of the required licences and authorisations to start satellite communication services in the country.