Centre Seeks Details Of Starlink’s Pakistan, Bangladesh Operations: Report

Starlink is under fresh scrutiny from the Indian government as the Centre has reportedly sought details from the Elon-Musk-owned company of its upcoming operations in Pakistan and Bangladesh.

An official at the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) told Business Standard, “…the company has been asked to clarify its plan to operate in neighbouring countries, one of which is openly hostile to Indian interests…”

The development comes almost a week after the satcom provider received a temporary no objection certificate from the government of Pakistan to operate in the country while Bangladesh gave a full authorisation to the US-based company to kickstart its operations.

It has been a long haul for Starlink to seek its satellite communication licence in India. The company has been trying to get a nod from the regulatory authorities since 2022  but has caught itself in multiple hurdles. However, the satcom provider said last year that it is willing to comply with the Centre to its security norms and will process and store data locally so that it does not jeopardise India’s national security concerns relating to data breaches to other nations.

It is pertinent to note that Bharti-backed Eutelsat OneWeb and Reliance Jio’s Orbit Connect India have already received their provisional licences to operate in India’s satellite communication space.

While the SpaceX subsidiary may still have to wait to get authorisation from Indian regulatory bodies to operate in India, but recently it joined forces with Jio and Airtel to provide satellite based services in India.

Starlink’s India Entry Still On Shaky Ground

As per the aforementioned report, there has been a delay for the satcom provider to begin its services in India as it failed to provide mandatory ownership disclosure norms overseen by the Department of Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT).

Also the company has been under tussle with the regulatory bodies over providing call details to  security agencies upon request and terminating its services under government direction in case of a national crisis.

Apart from that, the telecommunication regulatory authority of India (TRAI) wants to pilot the satcom spectrum allotment with a five years tenure which is almost one fourth of what Starlink demanded. For context, satellite broadband spectrum are radio frequencies used by the satellite to transmit signals for communication and internet services.

In India, the satellite communication space is still at a very nascent stage. TRAI is yet to submit its recommendations for the allocation and pricing of satcom spectrum. Last year the regulatory watchdog said that it would submit its recommendation soon. But in October, telecom minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said that satcom spectrum will be allocated administratively but will come at a cost.