Musk’s Starlink set to beam Internet to India; the company receives key approval from the govt

NEW DELHI: In a move that has the potential of changing the Internet landscape in the country, Elon Musk’s Starlink has received key approval from the Indian government, bringing it closer to commercial launch. Starlink has been waiting for nearly two years for the government approval and the clearance paves the way for the company to begin preparations for offering high-speed internet service in India. The entry of Starlink will usher in its satellite network internet service in India which will mean faster speed and greater reach for the subscribers even in far flung areas. Internet services have mainly relied upon fibre for their networks till now. Starlink is now the third company to get this kind of licence from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to provide satellite internet services in the country. The other two are Eutelsat’s OneWeb and Reliance Jio’s satellite arm. Starlink is the third company after Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio Satellite Communications, PTI said in a report on Friday. A fourth applicant, Amazon’s Kuiper is still waiting for approvals. PTI said that DoT sources confirmed on Friday that Starlink will be granted trial spectrum in 15-20 days of applying for it. Starlink will now have to comply with the security norms such as providing access for lawful interception, before starting services. The licence came hours after a huge public spat between Elon Musk and US President Donald Trump. The falling-out between the world’s richest man and the world’s most powerful person began when Musk, who left his role as head of the Department of Government Efficiency a week ago, denounced Trump’s sweeping tax-cut and spending bill. On Thursday, it erupted in the verbal duel after Trump criticised Musk in the Oval Office. Musk responded saying “Trump would have lost” without his help, prompting the US President to end US contracts. The licence from DoT came nearly a month after Starlink was issued a letter of intent (LoI) by the telecom department. The companies that have received the licence would, however, have to wait a tad longer for commercial satcom spectrum as the TRAI just recently sent its recommendations on pricing, and terms and conditions, to the government for its consideration. The players will be able to start their services after the allocation of radio wave frequencies. Typically, even before the commercial spectrum, the trial spectrum is required to test, and verify the systems and processes on security parameters to demonstrate that all norms and requirements are being complied with.

The status of the Starlink’s final nod from the Indian space regulator, In-SPACe could not be immediately ascertained. Starlink is a satellite internet service developed by SpaceX -- the American aerospace manufacturer and space transportation company founded in 2002 by the world’s richest man Musk. It provides high-speed, low-latency broadband internet worldwide using satellite technology and is aptly described by some as broadband beamed from the skies. Unlike conventional satellite services that rely on distant geostationary satellites, Starlink utilises the world’s largest low Earth orbit or LEO constellation (550 km above Earth). This constellation of LEO satellites (7,000 now but eventually set to grow to over 40,000) and its mesh delivers broadband internet capable of supporting streaming, online gaming, and video calls. Starlink, which had been vying for an India licence for some time now, recently signed pacts with Ambani’s Reliance Jio and Mittal’s Bharti Airtel, which together control more than 70 per cent of the country’s telecom market, to bring the US satellite internet giant’s services to India. Early last month, the government had issued stringent security norms mandating legal interception of satellite communication services and barred companies from linking connection of users in any form with any terminal or facility located outside the country’s border as well as processing of their data overseas. The tighter security rules also mandate service providers to indigenise at least 20 percent of their ground segment of the satellite network within years of their establishment in the country. The satcom service licence holders will require security clearances for specific gateway and hub locations in India and compliance to monitoring, interception facilities and equipment requirements. India’s rules mandate satcom firms to demonstrate system capabilities with respect to security aspects, including monitoring, to the Department of Telecom (DoT) or its authorised representatives before starting operations in India. It is pertinent to mention that Telecom regulator TRAI last month recommended that satellite communication companies like Starlink pay 4 percent of their adjusted gross revenue (AGR) as spectrum charges to the government -- a rate steeper than what these firms had been lobbying for. Operators offering satellite-based broadband internet services in urban areas would have to shell out an additional Rs 500 per subscribers annually, TRAI recommended. No additional levy would be applicable for services in rural areas. COAI, whose members include Reliance Jio and Airtel, recently approached the telecom department to raise concerns over TRAI recommendations on the satcom spectrum.