SpaceX will need to share details with India's Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to get approval to provide services.

Gagandeep Kaur, Contributing Editor

April 27, 2021

2 Min Read
SpaceX needs approval for India StarLink services – report

Elon Musk-led SpaceX will need to share details about its India plans with the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to get approval to provide services in the country, according to media reports.

The company is yet to receive any authorization or approval to provide Internet services. Despite this it has started accepting pre-orders for the beta version of its Starlink satellite Internet services for $99, or around INR7,000. SpaceX hopes to begin offering services in 2022.

It is unclear if it needs an Internet Service Provider (ISP) or Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) license to offer services. It might also need permission from the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Center (IN-SPACe), part of the Department of Space (DoS) to acquire landing rights to use signals of foreign satellites in India.

SpaceX would be required to provide specific details about the kind of services, the spectrum bands it would be using and the foreign satellite capacity it would be using to provide broadband.

Grey area

India is yet to come up with a regulatory and licensing framework for satellite-based service providers. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) started a consultation process for satellite-based connectivity and Internet of Things (IoT) applications in March.

Industry stakeholders have recommended Indian authorities bring down customs duties on satellite gear, and lower spectrum usage charges (SUC) to 1% of adjusted gross revenue (AGR), to make it affordable for ordinary people. The government is also working on a new space communications policy.

Industry body Broadband India Forum (BIF) had objected previously, saying SpaceX should not be allowed to provide services in the country since it doesn't have any approvals. BIF represents several of SpaceX's rivals including OneWeb and Amazon.

Want to know more about satellite? Check out our dedicated satellite content channel here on Light Reading.

SpaceX has launched more than 1,200 low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites, and started offering services in several countries, including the US.

Meanwhile, OneWeb has around 182 satellites. Jeff Bezos' Project Kuiper plans a constellation of 3,236 LEO satellites.

Various business models are emerging for satellite providers. While SpaceX would be selling directly to the consumers, Bharti's OneWeb plans to focus only on the wholesale market.

Satellites are the latest buzzwords in connectivity solutions. They enable operators to provide high-speed broadband in remote and rural areas that telcos typically ignore because of the high cost and low returns.

Related posts:

— Gagandeep Kaur, contributing editor, special to Light Reading

Read more about:

Asia

About the Author(s)

Gagandeep Kaur

Contributing Editor

With more than a decade of experience, Gagandeep Kaur Sodhi has worked for the most prominent Indian communications industry publications including Dataquest, Business Standard, The Times of India, and Voice&Data, as well as for Light Reading. Delhi-based Kaur, who has knowledge of and covers a broad range of telecom industry developments, regularly interacts with the senior management of companies in India's telecom sector and has been directly responsible for delegate and speaker acquisition for prominent events such as Mobile Broadband Summit, 4G World India, and Next Generation Packet Transport Network.

Subscribe and receive the latest news from the industry.
Join 62,000+ members. Yes it's completely free.

You May Also Like