Elon Musk’s satellite internet company Starlink is reportedly going to be available to provide internet in India. According to a report by Moneycontrol, Starlink is about to be ready to operate in India by agreeing to follow some important government regulations. Under these rules, the company will have to store all its data within India only. If necessary for security, government access will have to be approved. Elon Musk
To provide satellite based internet service in India, Starlink will need a special license, which is called GMPCS license. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) requires companies to meet strict data localization rules before being granted this license. According to the report, Starlink has agreed to comply with these rules. However, no official agreement has been reached yet.
Let us tell you that recently presidential elections were held in America, in which Elon Musk has supported Donald Trump which can help in Starlink’s global plan. Trump has hinted at giving Musk a responsibility in his administration. This is likely to benefit Starlink as it looks to expand across the world, including India.
Starlink had applied for a GMPCS license in October 2022, and has also applied to India’s space regulator, IN-SPACe, for additional permission. IN-SPACe recently asked Starlink and Amazon Kuiper to provide more information for approval. Meanwhile, another regulator TRAI is working on the rules for pricing and distribution of satellite spectrum (radio frequency which is required for companies to provide internet from space). TRAI’s final guidelines are expected to come by December.
Indian telecom providers like Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea will face competition from Starlink and other international satellite providers. He says these companies should buy spectrum through auction to ensure fair competition, especially in urban areas where satellite internet will compete directly with mobile internet. Starlink believes that satellite internet should be treated differently from normal telecom networks. Satellite spectrum should be allotted without auction.
