Elon Musk's Starlink approval in final stages: Union Minister Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani says ‘It is a little complicated issue'
Starlink to help connect remote areas: Minister
Starlink's monthly payment for consumers to be expensive: Minister
Elon Musk-led satellite internet provider Starlink is close to getting approval to operate in India, reports news agency PTI. The report quotes Union Minister Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani , who told reporters on the sidelines of the Bharat Telecom event, that the issue is complicated but in its final stages, emphasizing that security norms are a key part of the decision."It is a little complicated issue (permit for Starlink). We have to look from multiple angles. Security is one of them. Definitely, since it is in the final stages, we will get back on that," the minister said.He added that Starlink's role in providing internet services will be limited compared to the traditional service providers. According to the minister, Starlink and similar satellite internet players will mainly be used to connect remote areas where traditional networks are hard to reach. These services will mostly support home internet connections, not mobile services."Starlink or the others, I wanted you to understand that in the entire world the number of subscribers Starlink has is less than 50 lakh. It's not much. If you look at the speed and other stuff it's much slower than the traditional networks. There should not be too much worry about ... Starlink coming, taking over, all those things. People don't understand this," Pemmasani said.Pemmasani also pointed out that installing Starlink equipment is much more expensive — around 10 times higher than setting up traditional telecom infrastructure. He said that monthly payments for customers would also be higher."The speed would be much lower than the traditional. So, these are all the barriers. That is why people around the world also would not. This is mainly for maritime or when you have a really remote area where you cannot get any connection. That is where the Starlink and all this stuff would be highly valuable. This exaggeration of Starlink is going to come and take over India is for people who do not understand how the system works," Pemmasani stated.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
31 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
No impact of rare earth magnet shortage on production so far, says Maruti Suzuki Chairman
Maruti Suzuki Chairman R C Bhargava sees no production disruption as of now, owing to the ongoing rare earth magnet shortage. Check Offers While the Indian auto industry is reeling under pressure and hitting the panic button, stating that the rare earth magnet shortage will hit the sector hard with production disruption, Maruti Suzuki, the number one passenger vehicle manufacturer in the country, says there is no impact of the supply chain issue on vehicle production so far. Maruti Suzuki India Chairman R C Bhargava on Monday said there is no impact on the company's production due to the shortage of rare earth magnets as of now. When asked if the auto major is facing any production issues due to the global shortage of the rare earth magnets, which are important for vehicle manufacturing, Bhargava said there is no impact at the moment, reported PTI. He reportedly also said that the production activity at the country's largest carmaker is going on as planned. Also Read : Upcoming cars in India Maruti Suzuki Chairman's comments come against the backdrop of restrictions imposed by the Chinese government since April 4 this year on the export of rare earth elements and related magnets. China has mandated special export licences for seven rare earth elements and related magnets. China controls more than 90 per cent of global processing capacity for the magnets, which are used across sectors including automobiles, home appliances and clean energy. Rare earth magnet crisis: What lies ahead? When asked if the company sees a production crunch over the next few months due to the issue, Bhargava noted that, "If the licenses come through and they are supposed to come through, there would not be a problem." Meanwhile, the Indian automobile industry has sought government support in expediting approvals from the Chinese government for importing rare earth magnets used in various applications, including passenger cars. As per the industry sources, various domestic suppliers have already sought approval from the Chinese government through their local vendors in China. However, no approvals have been granted so far, which has raised anxiety in the industry. Many companies are facing the heat due to the shortage of critical raw materials used across multiple sectors, including the automobile industry. The critical materials include samarium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium and lutetium, which are essential in electric motors, braking systems, smartphones and missile technology. Get insights into Upcoming Cars In India, Electric Vehicles, Upcoming Bikes in India and cutting-edge technology transforming the automotive landscape. First Published Date: 10 Jun 2025, 07:02 AM IST
Hans India
32 minutes ago
- Hans India
Govt eyes bumper foodgrain output
New Delhi: India is likely to achieve a new record in foodgrain production during the 2025-26 kharif season starting next month, buoyed by forecasts of above-normal monsoon rains, Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said. In an interview with PTI, Chouhan also called for stringent laws to curb the sale of fake and substandard pesticides, and better implementation of soil health cards to ensure balanced fertiliser use. The minister, who is leading a 15-day nationwide Viksit Krishi Abhiyan (Developed Agriculture Campaign) across the country, said the outreach programme ahead of kharif sowing would help refine policies and research plans to boost agricultural production. According to the agriculture ministry's third estimate, India's foodgrain production hit a record 168.06 million tonnes in the 2024-25 kharif season. Kharif foodgrain output has risen 31.23 per cent since 2014-15. During visits to 10 states so far, the minister said he learned from farmers that existing crop varieties in some areas have developed resistance to emerging pests. Farmers also raised concerns about fake pesticides and sought greater protection during price crashes. Research plans and policies for short, medium and long-term implementation will be developed based on these inputs, he said. As farmers prepare their fields for kharif sowing, Chouhan said, farmers complained about substandard pesticides in the market. 'We need to frame a stringent law to address this. Now they get away with paying some penalty. We should come out with a strict law to punish those engaged in selling poor/substandard pesticides,' he said. On pulses and oilseed production, the minister said output has improved, but India still has far to go to achieve self-reliance and reduce import dependency. The government is working with a mission approach, distributing better quality seeds and educating farmers on best practices while ensuring procurement. These efforts will be intensified to address yield gaps, he added.
Hindustan Times
36 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Speedy clearance expected in Sawalkote hydro project
The Union government is looking to give speedy clearance to a ₹22,700-crore hydropower project in Sawalkote on the Chenab so that work can commence by next year and the power ministry is on track to decide which agency should build it, two officials aware of the development said. The Sawalkote project, among four proposed hydroelectric projects in Jammu and Kashmir, has been granted the status of a nationally important project and is expected to generate 1,856 megawatts (MW) of electricity, one of the officials said. The four projects, which together can produce 3,119 MW of electricity, have been hobbled by long administrative delays as well as due to restrictions imposed by the Indus Waters Treaty, which India decided to put on hold a day after the deadly terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam on April 22 that claimed 26 lives. Apart from power, the Sawalkote dam, a so-called run-of-the-river project, will also bring irrigation potential to large agricultural tracts, a second official said, adding it will come up in the Ramban, Batote, Mahore and Udhampur forest divisions abutting the Raman, Reasi and Udhampur districts of the Union territory. The detailed project report or DPR for the dam has been prepared by the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) Ltd, the country's largest state-backed hydropower firm. The government is examining which agency should be tasked with the project. 'The Jammu and Kashmir government has expressed a desire to be involved in the construction of the project and build it either through one of its own power companies or through a joint venture. A decision will be taken soon,' the first official said. India has quickened processes to start work on proposed infrastructure on the Indus River system as well as speed up work on existing ones after pulling out of the 1960 water-sharing pact amid a freeze in ties following the Pahalgam terror attack. In 2021, the forest department of Jammu and Kashmir had recommended environmental clearance along with 'justifications', which had formally rolled out the process of preliminary work for the Sawalkote project, including recommendation of the catchment area plan. The Centre is likely to give a go-ahead soon for the stage I of the two-phased project after issues of picking the agency and reviewing Jammu and Kashmir's demand for a role through a joint venture are settled. The Union territory is keen on getting on board because the project will then create a revenue source for it, the second official said. 'Now that India has put the Indus treaty in abeyance, the country has no obligations under the treaty and it is free to create infrastructure in the Indus rivers on the Indian side,' said Shashi Shekhar, a former Union water resources secretary. Shekhar, as the top water resources bureaucrat then, had recommended the Centre suspend the treaty in 2016, when terrorists had attacked an Indian army base in Kashmir's Uri, killing 18 soldiers. Prior to keeping the water-sharing pact in abeyance following the Pahalgam terror attack, India had been pressing Pakistan to renegotiate the treaty, citing natural changes in the Indus river basin itself, which had diminished India's share amid a rising population. Under the treaty, the ratio of water shared by Pakistan and India stood at 80:20. India had sought a revision in the terms of the treaty bilaterally. According to the Indian side, Pakistan ignored pleas for bilateral renegotiation, and instead moved the World Bank for appointing a neutral expert to address the issues. India then accepted a neutral expert appointed by the World Bank, which had brokered the six-decade-old treaty by formulating its technical aspects, according to the Indian side. However, Pakistan then moved for international arbitration, a step India considers was a serious escalation by Islamabad, without exhausting all available options, according to Indian officials. Since India's decision to suspend the treaty, Pakistan has written four letters to Indian authorities, offering to discuss specific issues, HT had reported last week. India and Pakistan have fought four wars but the treaty had never been paused before. In letters sent to India, Pakistani authorities are learnt to have said that India didn't have powers to unilaterally suspend the treaty and called for resumption of negotiations. In an international conference on glaciers in Dushanbe on May 30, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had raked up the treaty, accusing India of 'weaponising water'.
