Indian satellite internet services may soon be available through Elon Musk's Starlink. The Department of Telecommunication authorities are expected to meet on September 20 to decide whether to allow Starlink to operate within the nation with the required license, according to The New Indian Express, citing officials familiar with the situation. In 32 nations throughout the world, Starlink's satellite internet services are accessible. During the communication blackout that occurred in Ukraine while at war with Russia, its services also played a significant role.
According to the report, Starlink submitted an application to the DoT for a Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite (GMPCS) license last year. In India, Starlink launched pre-booking channels in 2021. The government, however, required the business to stop using pre-booking channels and start applying for operating permits.Â
An official is quoted in the report as saying, "We didn't want to encourage any company to provide services without licensing. We encountered that with Skype since we were unable to enter a licensing regime with the corporation. It is currently outside of our purview and not compliant with any rules.
The source added that in order to protect Indian users, additional internet-based services, also known as OTTs, should be subject to a licensing system. "If these OTT players are subject to the licensing regime, they are required to comply with government directives," the official continued. We could have told these apps to stop operating in the event of any incidents similar to those in Nuh or Manipur without having to shut off the entire internet.
Airtel and Jio are also stepping up their efforts to launch satellite internet in India, in addition to Starlink. OneWeb, which is supported by Airtel, and Jio Space Technology, which operates satellites, have also applied for the GMPCS license. Companies will need to purchase the satellite spectrum that the DoT has allotted after getting the license.
How does satellite internet work? How is it unique?
The satellite internet uses communications from satellites orbiting the Earth, as opposed to the conventional internet, which depends on cables or copper lines. Where standard internet connections, such as fiber-cable services, are not yet available, the latter could be quite helpful. Satellite internet has the ability to save lives even in places with no cellular coverage.
