DoT Mandates Certification Of Satcom Equipment

As India prepares for the rollout of satellite communication (satcom) services soon, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has now mandated the testing and certification of satellite equipment such as gateways and user terminals. 

In a gazette notification dated February 25, the DoT included non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) user terminals and NGSO integrated gateway in the list of telecom equipment that has to be certified. The new directions will come into effect 180 days after the issuance of the notification. 

As such, post August 2025, only certified equipment can be used and imported by companies for offering satcom services in India.

“… No person shall import, sell, distribute or use the Telecommunication Equipment specified in Schedule, except in accordance with the Mandatory Testing and Certification of Telecom Equipment measures as specified by the Telecommunication Engineering Centre,” read the gazette notification. 

First instituted in 2019, the mandatory testing and certification of telecommunication equipment aims to ensure that any new telecom equipment does not degrade the performance of any existing network, ensure user safety and compliance of telecom equipment with relevant national and international regulatory standards.

This comes at a time when the likes of both domestic and global giants have been lining up before Indian authorities to commence satcom services in the country. While Bharti Group-backed Eutelsat-OneWeb and Reliance-backed Jio-SES have secured all necessary regulatory approvals, Elon Musk-owned Starlink too has reportedly submitted required documents to the government for a licence.

Additionally, Amazon-backed Kuiper too has been planning to launch satcom services in the country and has applied for a licence. 

That said, the space, even before its commercial launch, is witnessing a turf fight over satcom spectrum allotment. While the likes of telecom operators like Airtel and Jio are batting for auction, Starlink and Kuiper have been pitching for administrative allocation. 

The government too has been in the favour of assigning licences without spectrum, with communications minister Jyotiraditya Scindia last year saying that the spectrum would be allocated without an auction but at a “cost”.

Meanwhile, regulator Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is reportedly expected to soon announce details regarding pricing of satcom spectrum.