Starlink To Get Licence To Launch Satellite Services In India Soon

Starlink is on the verge of obtaining the licence from the department of telecommunications (DoT) to launch its satellite communications in the country. 

India is moving steadily towards allowing satellite internet providers such as Elon Musk’s Starlink to operate in the country, NDTV Profit reported, citing telecom minister Jyotiraditya Scindia.

“We are eager to have that auction in India for our customers as soon as possible,” Scindia said.

Meanwhile, a few sources told Hindu Businessline that Starlink’s team is visiting India shortly to obtain the Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite (GMPCS) licence.

As per the country’s existing laws, companies are required to secure a GMPCS licence and IN-SPACe approval, along with allocation of spectrum from the Indian government, to offer satellite-based voice and data services in India.

The development comes weeks after the Centre granted a conditional approval for Starlink to operate satellite-based internet services, issuing a Letter of Intent (LoI) from the DoT.

On that note, Starlink has been building its partnerships with domestic telecom and satcom giants such as Hughes, Tata Group-led Nelco, and state-run Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. (BSNL), to penetrate into the Indian market.

Additionally, the company is looking to partner with several companies to help expand its local services quickly.

Meanwhile, Amazon-backed Project Kuiper also wrote to the DoT in May, to speed up LoI for the GMPCS permit, to launch its satellite internet services in the country. To note, Kuiper is planning to set up 10 gateways and two points of presence in Chennai and Mumbai.

Apple’s satcom partner Globalstar is one of the newest entrants in India’s space communications market. It has sought regulatory approval from the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) to launch services in the country.

In the light of growing interest from international satellite operators to establish their presence in the Indian space, the telecommunications department issued a new set of GMPCS guidelines in May, mandating compliance with 29 new security norms to acquire satellite communication (satcom) licences. 

Further, reports recently surfaced that the Centre is also prioritising national safeguards with plans to 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.