Sometime back, I had mentioned how Elon Musk was trying to bring the Starlink service to India but was awaiting certain major approvals. Turns out that he might get the required approvals and bring the service to India sooner. Let’s find out more about this.
According to an Economic Times report, Starlink will be able to get the required government approvals to offer voice and data communication services in India. Now, Musk’s Starlink has met with the required guidelines of the Government of India. Further GOI is now satisfied with Starlink’s options. The government had asked the company to update and adhere to the Indian data storage and transfer rules.
Starlink was following the international rules previously owing to its global presence. However, when they planned to set up in India, the Indian government asked them to comply with their local data regulations. Now that Starlink is ready to comply, the approvals could come soon.
Also read: Forget Starlink, Amazon may start offering satellite internet service very soon in India
This is Starlink’s second attempt to enter the Indian satcom market. Earlier, the company was told to get all the approvals before it could ask for pre-booking money from Indian users.
An official associated with the government told the Economic Times, “The responses provided by Starlink to our inquiries appear to be acceptable. Once the security assessment is finalized, the company will be granted a global mobile personal communication by satellite services (GMPCS) license to provide its services.”
Currently, two key players, OneWeb and Reliance Jio have already entered the Indian satcom market and have the first movers advantage. Once Starlink gets all the due approvals, it will become the third company to offer this service. Back in October, Amazon had also filed the application to get approvals for the same but is still waiting. We hear that Tata is also in the line for the same.
Also read: Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet will target rural districts in India
The Indian satcom market is really new and hence players are rushing to get the good spots. If we talk numbers, the Indian space economy could reach a whopping $13 billion by 2025 with a 6% annual growth rate according to an EY-ISpA report.
