In order to authorize Starlink’s services, SpaceX must obtain approval from In-SPACe, the Indian space regulator, after obtaining the GMPCS license. However, because its application is still being processed, Amazon Kuiper, its American rival, will have to wait longer.
However, because its LoI application is still being processed, its American competitor, Amazon Kuiper, will have to wait longer.
Following the issuance of the LoI on May 7 of last month, Starlink was given until June 7 to comply. According to a senior official who spoke to Moneycontrol, “They will receive the license this month because they have already submitted the security-related requirements needed to meet the new license conditions and have made commitments on other guidelines.”
In order to authorize Starlink’s services, SpaceX must obtain approval from In-SPACe, the Indian space regulator, after obtaining the GMPCS license. The satcom player’s application is presently in its last leg at In-SPACe, and once it obtains the GMPCS license, the interministerial standing committee (IMC) will approve it.
The introduction of Starlink’s high-speed satellite broadband services in India will proceed more quickly thanks to this crucial step. The business will be given a provisional spectrum allocation after receiving the In-SPACe clearance.
Following a comprehensive review of SpaceX’s Starlink, the government imposed stringent security requirements, including the establishment of a local command and control center and the implementation of legal interception capabilities.
“A number of procedural steps, such as establishing gateways, a Network Operations Center, and guaranteeing legal interception capabilities, will still need to be finished. Before they can start offering commercial satellite communication services in India, it will take at least nine months, the individual stated.
For the last three to four years, Starlink, which intends to open three gateways in India, has been awaiting a license.
Despite having met all the operational and security requirements needed to obtain the license, Amazon Kuiper will have to wait to obtain the LoI from the DoT.
“Kuiper has yet to receive the LoI. After meeting all requirements, it sent a letter to DOT in February asking for an update on its application. According to a second source, it asked the DoT for an update if more details were required.
The individual also mentioned that Kuiper’s application will be discussed at the upcoming meeting of the interministerial standing committee. Since December 2024, there hasn’t been a meeting, so Kuiper’s application has not advanced. A letter of intent cannot be issued in the absence of the interministerial standing committee meeting.
As part of Project Kuiper, Amazon has launched 27 satellites to offer broadband services all over the world. These are the first of 3,236 satellites that Amazon intends to launch in low-Earth orbit as part of Project Kuiper, a $10 billion plan to roll out internet globally that was announced in 2019.
India is still not covered by the major e-commerce platform. Before providing commercial services, they wish to obtain all necessary approvals. The second person added, “Kuiper will also be ready by the time Starlink can offer commercial services in India in about 8 to 9 months, as its satellite launch is underway.”
In contrast to Starlink’s three gateways, Kuiper intends to establish a substantial amount of satcom capacity in India, with plans for ten gateways and two points of presence in Chennai and Mumbai. Jio-SES and Eutelsat-OneWeb each have two gateways.
The Satcom pricing recommendations are criticized by telcos.
Indian telecom operators have harshly criticized the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s (TRAI) pricing recommendations, which are presently being reviewed by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT).
The industry group COAI, speaking on behalf of Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea, objected to TRAI’s plan to impose a 4 percent adjusted gross revenue (AGR) charge on satellite spectrum in a letter dated May 29 to DoT secretary Neeraj Mittal.
Because traditional telecom companies pay much higher upfront fees through spectrum auctions, COAI urged the government to review the pricing model. According to the body, this means that their overall government payments are about 21% greater than what satellite providers would pay under TRAI’s proposed framework.
COAI cautioned that the recommendations are unfair and may breach the provisions of the Telecommunications Act, 2023, calling the proposal “non-transparent” and “based on non-justifiable assumptions rather than factual data.” The letter claimed that if they were adopted, market competition would be distorted and terrestrial telecom networks’ viability would be threatened.
