New Delhi, March 24: The union cabinet on Wednesday gave its approval for the procurement of launch services and realization of ground segment for GSAT-11 spacecraft at a cost of Rs.1,117 crore.

"GSAT-11 will be ready for launch by the end of 2016. Considering the 5,600 kg lift-off mass, the satellite will be launched using procured launch vehicle outside the country," an official release said.

The ground segment is being realised to address the rural communication requirements.

"This will enable early deployment of GSAT-11 so as to augment Ku band capacity which can be utilised for various services like VSATS, broadband etc. The ground segment of GSAT-11 will enable the utilisation of a small portion of the bandwidth for societal services apart from providing in orbit testing support," it said.

It will also provide a high throughput capacity of about 10 Gbps to render broadband connectivity especially in rural areas. (IANS)