Data, Traffic Accumulated By Starlink Will Be Locally Stored In India: Govt

Minister of State for Communications Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar has said that the network data, traffic and other details accumulated by Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet service will be locally stored in India.

In a written reply, the minister informed the Rajya Sabha, “Security conditions, inter-alia, include the establishment of earth station gateway(s) in India for providing satellite-based communication services with no user traffic originating from or destined for India to be routed through any gateway located outside India, no copying and decryption of the Indian data outside the country, and the Indian user traffic is not to be mirrored to any system/server located abroad.”

US-based Starlink is the third satcom operator after Bharti-backed Eutelsat OneWeb and Reliance Jio-SES JV to secure all clearances for offering commercial broadband from space services in India.

Starlink received its Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite (GMPCS) permit in June.

The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) authorised Starlink’s Gen 1 constellation to provide satellite communication services in India. Gen 1 is Starlink’s low Earth orbit (LEO) network of 4408 satellites which can offer 600 Gbps throughput in India.

Earlier this year, India’s top telecom players Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel partnered with Musk’s aerospace company SpaceX to offer starlink services in the country.

Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar, meanwhile, said that the satcom sector is expected to generate employment as it is an emerging area.

“Satellite-based communication services is an upcoming area and as any new economic activity would do, it is also expected to generate employment in the country, as it involves, inter-alia, the installation, operation and maintenance of the telecom network including user terminal equipment,” the minister said in his reply.

Starlink’s Potential Impact On India

SpaceX’s global satellite internet initiative Starlink has been created to deliver high-speed broadband access directly to users through a network of low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites.

As India’s digital divide remains a major obstacle, Starlink’s foray could revolutionise internet accessibility by bringing fast and reliable broadband to villages, hilly terrains and other hard-to-reach locations.

As per news agency PTI, Sekhar had said that Starlink will offer speeds up to 200 Mbps in the country. “Starlink can have only 20 Lakh customers in India and offer up to 200 Mbps speed. That won’t affect telecom services.” 

Satcom Spectrum Allocation Rules Still Under Process

The rules for allocation of spectrum for satellite communications (satcom) services are likely to be finalised soon. 

As per PTI’s report, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has steered clear of auction and recommended administrative allocation of satcom spectrum. In addition, the regulator has proposed a five-year tenure for spectrum allocation, which can be extended by an additional two years based on market conditions.

Alongside, the telecom regulator has suggested fixing spectrum charges for both geo-stationary orbit (GSO) and non-GSO-based fixed satellite services at 4% of adjusted gross revenue. It is pertinent to note that Eutelsat OneWeb and Starlink have deployed low earth orbit (LEO)  satellites, which fall under the NGSO category.