Elon Musk's Starlink to soon offer satellite internet services in India

Elon Musk's Starlink will soon offer satellite internet services in India. According to The New Indian Express, citing officials close to the matter, Department of Telecommunications (DoT) officials will likely meet on September 20 to decide whether to allow Starlink to operate within the country through a proper license. Starlink's satellite Internet services are available in 32 countries worldwide. Its services also played an important role in Ukraine during the communications blackout amid the war with Russia.

The report notes that Starlink applied for a Global Mobile Personal Communication Satellite (GMPCS) license with the Department of Transportation last year. Starlink opened pre-booking channels in India in 2021. However, the government forced the company to close pre-booking channels and instead apply for a license to operate. Starlink's official website still notes it is awaiting "regulatory approval."

The report, citing an official, notes, "We didn't want to encourage any company to give services without licenses. We experienced it in the case of Skype; we couldn't bring the company into a licensing regime. Now, it is out of our ambit, not following any regulation."

The official also stated that other Internet-based services, also known as OTT, should be licensed to ensure the safety of Indian users. The official added, "If these OTT players are under the licensing regime, they are obliged to follow government directions. In case of any incidents like in Nuh or Manipur, we could have directed these apps to stop their services without having to disconnect entire internet services."

Not only Starlink, Airtel and Jio are also stepping up their efforts to start satellite internet in India. Airtel-backed OneWeb and Jio's satellite arm, Jio Space Technology, have applied for the GMPCS license. After obtaining the license, companies must purchase satellite spectrum assigned by the Department of Transportation.

About satellite internet

Unlike the traditional Internet, which is based on cables or copper wires, the satellite Internet uses signals from satellites that orbit the Earth. The latter is beneficial when traditional Internet services (including fibre cable) are unavailable. Even in areas where there is no cellular connectivity, satellite internet can save lives.

Users must install dedicated channels at home or at their remote stations for the services to work. In the case of Starlink, Internet services are based on the constellation of Starlink LEO (Low-Earth Orbit) satellites operated by SpaceX. The company has launched more than 4,000 satellites, and more are coming.