Spacex May Apply For Starlink Services In India

After OneWeb and Reliance Jio’s satellite arm, SpaceX would be the third company to apply seeking key permit to roll out high-speed space internet services in India by using its global constellation of low earth orbit (LEO) satellites

Global Spacecraft engineering company, SpaceX is all set to apply to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to seek permission for Global Mobile Personal Communications by Satellite Services (GMPCS). This will enable launch of broadband-from-space services in India under its Starlink brand, said people connected with the matter.

Such move will lead to the Elon Musk-owned company stand against other big giants like Bharti Group-backed OneWeb and Reliance Jio Infocomm’s satellite arm. The race is for a slice of the nascent market, which expected to be of worth 13 billion dollar by 2025. 

After OneWeb and Reliance Jio’s satellite arm, SpaceX would be the third company to apply seeking key permit to roll out high-speed space internet services in India by using its global constellation of low earth orbit (LEO) satellites. 

Apart from this, the company will also be taking statutory approvals from the government for landing rights and other market access. 

Local Gateways Set up Approval

It is going to be huge for paceX to establish in-country earth stations (satellite gateways) and also allocate its global satellite bandwidth capacity in India. All concerning clearances will have to come from the Indian National Space Promotion & Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe)-a central regulatory body. Such authorities are directed to attract private capital in the space sector.   

Hopefully, SpaceX will be seeking approvals from DoT to set up local gateways, according to people connected with the matter.

According to the SpaceX’s website, Starlink is still not available in India because of pending regulatory approvals. Once all the approvals are obtained, into India would experience expansion in coverage, it said. 

Nearly a year back, SpaceX’s Indian unit had to withdraw its initiative to seek and accept pre-orders after it was forced to do so by the communications ministry. The initiative was for its upcoming satellite broadband services in the country, however it was withdrawn as it didn’t have the relevant operating licence.