Starlink may soon start providing internet service in India. Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Tuesday that we are ready to license any company.
Scindia said, ‘Be it Starlink or any other company, everyone has to be ready to follow our security and other rules. Giving a license is a specific process. You have to check all the boxes. When you check all the boxes, you get the license.’
Starlink is ready to follow the rules of the Indian Government
A day earlier, news came that in a meeting with the Telecom Department, Starlink has agreed to follow the rules related to data localization and security for satellite broadband services license. However, the company has not yet filed the agreement for this.
The Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite Services (GMPCS) license is the first step towards setting up satellite internet. After which spectrum can be obtained for testing by paying a nominal application fee.
Satellite communication companies must keep all data within the country
According to security rules, it is mandatory for satellite communication companies operating in the country to keep all data within the country. The company may also need to explain how intelligence agencies will obtain the data if they require it.
Starlink applied for the license in October 2022
Starlink applied for this license in October 2022. After this, the company also applied for approval from the space regulator, the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Center (IN-SPACe). The team has also moved forward with the application with IN-SPACe, but they are seeking additional details for final approval.
The Government of India will decide the rules for pricing and spectrum allocation
Satellite broadband services in India will begin when the government decides on rules for pricing and spectrum allocation. This process can begin only when the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) issues its recommendations, which we expect by the end of December.
Indian companies will compete with global companies like Starlink
In the satellite services sector, Indian companies like Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone-Idea will compete with global companies like Amazon owner Jeff Bezos’ Kuiper and Musk’s Starlink.
During an open house session last week, representatives from the three Indian companies stated that providers should use only auctioned satellite spectrum to deliver satellite services to urban or retail consumers.
In response to this demand, Starlink stated that telecom/ground services and satellite communications are theoretically different, so they should not be compared.
Administrators should allocate the spectrum instead of using an auction.
Starlink India Director Pernil Urdhvaresh stated that telecom companies should allocate the 5G mobile spectrum administratively instead of through an auction.
IN-SPACe estimates that the country’s space economy can grow to $44 billion by 2033 and its global market share can increase from the current 2% to around 8%.
