Centre Prioritising National Safeguards As Starlink & Other Satcom Players Eye Entry: Report

The Centre is reportedly prioritising national safeguards as global satcom players like Elon Musk-owned Starlink and Amazon’s Kuiper are seeking entry into the Indian market.

An ET report, citing officials close to the matter, said that among the measures that the government is planning include setting up of a satcom monitoring facility, with an outlay of INR 900 Cr (around $106 Mn), to track domestic and international satellites operating on Indian skies .

This facility will reserve orbital and spectrum resources for upcoming Indian satellites, especially NGSO (non-geostationary orbit), with a favourable ecosystem to set up gateways in the country that would primarily serve local and global operations, the report added.

“Some of the measures are likely to be announced through the new Telecom Policy, which will create a roadmap for the next five years or by 2030,” an official was quoted as saying in the report.

Also, earlier this month, the department of telecommunications (DoT) brought in force new guidelines to direct satcom operators to transition to indigenous satellite navigation system NavIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation) by 2029. 

The new rules also entrust localisation mandates on existing and potential satcom licensees. By the end of five years of commercial operations, companies will have to indigenise 20% of their ground segment of the satellite network.

Another official confirmed that DoT’s decision making body Digital Communications Commission (DCC) has already cleared the proposal for setting up the satellite monitoring facility, as per the report.

The development also comes in the light of the country’s growing interest in strengthening its position in the global satcom space. 

Last week, telecom minister Jyotiraditya Scindia reportedly said that India is set to see the fastest rollout of satellite communication network in the world, claiming that the homegrown satcom market is well poised to grow tenfold to become a $20 Bn opportunity in the next three years.

Prior to that, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has recommended a five-year tenure for spectrum allocation for satcom service providers, which would provide predictability and a level playing field in a sector that’s expected to attract global and domestic players.

So far, Amazon’s Project Kuiper and Apple partner Globalstar have sought for satcom licences, while Eutelstat OneWeb and Jio-SES hold initial approvals to operate in the country. 

Earlier this month, Starlink received a Letter of Intent for its satcom services.