Sat tech to aid monitoring & control of 1L fishing boats

Bengaluru: Space PSU NewSpace India Limited has been entrusted to install and commission mobile satellite service or MSS terminals on 1 lakh motorised and mechanical fishing boats, spread across 9 states and 4 Union territories. The MSS terminals or Xponders will use the indigenous NaVIC system for monitoring, control, and surveillance of fishing boats.
The initiative includes setting up dedicated ground station and hub baseband systems, arranging for satellite bandwidth and building satellite terminals for field deployment, to provide safety and security for fishermen.It is expected to mitigate sea-borne threat concerns from a national security perspective.
NSIL has floated a tender inviting private firms to implement the project. “The overall scope of work includes establishment of a dedicated MSS satellite communication (Satcom) network for supporting emergency communication and tracking of maritime assets,” the space PSU said.
Once implemented, fishermen and authorities will have access to periodic position reporting, two-way messaging, emergency weather alerts, Potential Fishing Zone (PFZ) or international water boundary crossing alerts information (based on Geo-fencing by network owners), navigational assistance etc.
All Xponders will have in-built wi-fi/bluetooth transceivers to communicate to a smartphone and an app will be developed to allow communication between phone and transponder. All contents on the app will be bilingual — English & local language, or English & Hindi. Fishermen can send messages to vessel owners and control rooms. The app will have an SOS button.