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Musk, Elon

Starlink Secures Licence for Satcom Services in India

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Starlink, the satellite-based internet service developed by SpaceX, has reportedly obtained a licence for satcom services in India. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has issued the Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite (GMPCS) permit to the US company, marking it as the third company to secure the licence to offer commercial services in the country after Eutelsat's OneWeb and Jio-SES. According to the report, Starlink may start its commercial services in India later this year or next year.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has issued the Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite (GMPCS) permit to Starlink, allowing the company to offer commercial satcom services in India.
  • Starlink is the third company to secure the licence, following Eutelsat's OneWeb and Jio-SES.
  • The company must obtain a trial spectrum in the coming days after meeting all the security compliance requirements outlined in its letter of intent (LoI).
  • Starlink must also get approval from the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) before the spectrum is allocated.
  • The company has agreed to follow the latest national security rules for satcom operators, including 29 new conditions such as mandatory interception and monitoring systems.
  • The Starlink network consists of over 7,000 satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO), with the expected number to exceed 40,000.
  • The network forms a mesh network that can support data-heavy tasks like video streaming, online gaming, and video conferencing.
  • Starlink offers high-speed, low-latency broadband internet across the globe.

Statistics:

  • The Starlink network currently consists of over 7,000 satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO).
  • The network is expected to exceed 40,000 satellites in LEO.
  • The DoT has issued the Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite (GMPCS) permit to Starlink.
  • Starlink has become the third company to secure the licence to offer commercial satcom services in India.

Sources:

  • IANS
  • Times of India (Reprint Rights: timescontent.com)

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