The process of licensing SpaceX owner Elon Musk's Starlink in India may now move forward soon. According to reports, satellite broadband company Starlink has agreed to meet the government's data localization and security rules.
According to media reports, in a meeting with the Telecom Department, Starlink has agreed to the rules related to data localization and security for satellite broadband services license, but the company has not yet filed the agreement.
Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite Services (GMPCS) license is the first step towards setting up satellite Internet. After which spectrum can be obtained for testing by paying a nominal application fee.
It is mandatory for satellite communication companies to keep complete data in the country.
According to security related rules, it is mandatory for satellite communication companies operating in the country to keep all the data within the country. Starlink may also need to explain how intelligence agencies will get the data if they need it.
Starlink applied for license in October 2022
Starlink had applied for this license in October 2022. After this, the company also applied for approval from the space regulator, Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Center (IN-SPACe). The application with IN-SPACe has also moved forward, but additional details are being sought for final approval.
Government of India will decide the rules of pricing and spectrum allocation
Satellite broadband services will start in India only when the government decides the rules for pricing and spectrum allocation. This process can start only when the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) issues its recommendations, which is expected by the end of December.
Indian companies will compete with global companies like Starlink
In the satellite services sector, Indian companies like Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, Vodafone-Idea will compete with global companies like Amazon owner Jeff Bezos's Kuiper and Musk's Starlink.
In an open house session last week, representatives of the three Indian companies had said that only auctioned satellite spectrum should be used to provide satellite-related services to urban or retail consumers.
On this demand, Starlink had said that telecom/ground services and satellite communications are different in principle, so they should not be compared.
Spectrum should be allocated administratively rather than through auction
Starlink India Director Pernil Urdhvareshe had said that if 5G mobile spectrum is shared among telecom companies, it should be allocated administratively rather than through auction.
IN-SPACe estimates that the country's space economy could grow to $4,400 crore by 2033 and its global market share could increase from around 2% at present to around 8%.
How will the internet reach you through satellites?
- Satellites make it possible to beam Internet coverage from any part of the Earth. The satellite network provides users with high-speed, low-latency Internet coverage. Latency means the time it takes to transmit data from one point to another.
- The Starlink kit consists of a Starlink dish, a Wi-Fi router, power supply cables, and a mounting tripod. For high-speed internet, the dish will have to be kept under the open sky. Starlink's app is available on iOS and Android, which takes care of everything from setup to monitoring.
Graphics Source: VaskarAssets
