Starlink Nears Approval for Indian Operations
Elon Musk's satellite internet company, Starlink, is nearing approval to operate in India after agreeing to comply with key government regulations. These regulations require companies to store all data within India and grant government access for security purposes.
Starlink requires a specific license, the GMPCS license, to offer satellite-based internet services in India. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) mandates strict data localization rules for issuing this license. According to reports, Starlink has agreed "in principle" to these rules, although an official agreement is pending.
Musk's recent support for US President-elect Donald Trump may benefit Starlink's global expansion plans. Trump has hinted at giving Musk a role in his administration, which could indirectly benefit Starlink as it seeks to expand worldwide, including in India.
Starlink applied for the GMPCS license in October 2022 and has also sought additional approvals from India's space regulator, IN-SPACe. IN-SPACe recently requested further information from Starlink and Amazon Kuiper, a competing satellite provider, to finalize their approvals.
Meanwhile, another regulator, TRAI, is developing rules for pricing and distributing satellite spectrum, the radio frequencies needed to provide internet from space. TRAI's final guidelines are expected by December.
Indian telecom giants like Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea are concerned about Starlink and other international satellite providers. They argue that these companies should acquire spectrum through auctions to ensure fair competition, especially in urban areas where satellite internet would directly compete with mobile internet.
Starlink, however, contends that satellite internet should be treated differently from traditional telecom networks and that satellite spectrum should be allocated without an auction.