A handy guide to satellite capacity of Indian DTH operators in 2021

A Geostationary communication satellite is the beating heart of a DTH system and the transponder capacity is its very lifeforce. Just like the spectrum holding capacity determines the efficiency of a telecom operator, the transponder capacity determines the efficiency of a DTH operator. A typical Ku band transponder in the DVB-S2 system can carry as many as 20 HD or 40 SD channels with MPEG-4 compression standard.

Currently, there is 1 state-owned and 4 private DTH operators (Dish TV operates under 2 brands) providing service in India. The department of space (DOS) permits DTH operators to only use satellites commissioned by Indian Space and Research Organisation (ISRO) or in case there isn’t sufficient capacity on ISRO satellites then they are permitted to use capacity leased by ISRO from foreign satellites. 

Here we will enlist the satellites used and the transponder capacity available to all DTH operators along with their current TV channel count. This is intended to help potential subscribers get a birds-eye view and make an informed choice while picking a DTH service provider. Dish TV and d2h have been listed separately since they operate as individual brands and have separate satellites as well.

Tata Sky:

Tata Sky has a total of 24 Ku band transponders from 2 satellites. 12 transponders from GSAT-10 located at 83° East, owned by ISRO launched in 2012 with a lifespan of 12 years and 12 transponders from GSAT-30 co-located at 83° East, owned by ISRO launched in 2020 with a lifespan of 15 years. Tata Sky currently offers 670 channels of which 529 are SD, 89 are HD, 1 is 4K and 51 are service channels.

Airtel Digital TV:

Airtel Digital TV has a total of 18 Ku band transponders from 2 satellites. 11 transponders from SES-7 located at 108.2° East, owned by SES launched in 2009 with a lifespan of 15 years and 7 transponders from SES-9 co-located at 108.2° East, owned by SES launched in 2016 with a lifespan of 15 years. Airtel Digital TV currently offers 658 channels of which 503 are SD, 85 are HD, 29 are service channels and 37 are Airtel exclusive channels.

Dish TV:

Dish TV has a total of 15 Ku band transponders from 2 satellites. 9 transponders from SES-8 located at 95° East, owned by SES launched in 2013 with a lifespan of 15 years and 6 transponders from GSAT-15 located at 93.5° East, owned by ISRO launched in 2015 with a lifespan of 12 years. Dish TV currently offers 387 TV channels of which 310 are SD, 63 are HD and 25 are service channels.

d2h:

d2h has a total of 12 transponders from ST-2 satellite located at 88° East, owned by SingTel launched in 2011 with a lifespan of 15 years. d2h currently offers 529 TV channels of which 439 are SD, 71 are HD and 25 are service channels.

Sun Direct:

Sun Direct has a total of 10 transponders from 2 satellites. 6 transponders from MEASAT-3B located at 91.5° East, owned by MEA Satellite systems launched in 2014 with a lifespan of 15 years and 4 transponders from GSAT-15 located at 93.5° East, owned by ISRO launched in 2015 with a lifespan of 12 years. Sun Direct currently offers 465 TV channels of which 391 are SD, 74 are HD and 4 are service channels.

DD Free Dish:

DD Free Dish has a total of 9 transponders (Including 1 from Vande Gujarat and 2 from Swayam Prabha) from GSAT-15 satellite located at 93.5° East, owned by ISRO launched in 2015 with a lifespan of 12 years. DD currently offers 228 unencrypted free channels of which 175 are SD and 1 is HD, additionally, there are 50 Radio channels, 2 service channels and 9 FTA channels from Dish TV.

Note: The DTH satellite transponder details are sourced from LyngSat and are updated from time to time in tandem with the updates on the site. Dish TV and Sun Direct subscribers also get access to unencrypted free channels (from DD free dish, Swayam Prabha and Vande Gujarat) since they both share capacity on GSAT-15.