Musk's Starlink To Get Licence Soon? What Jyotiraditya Scindia Told NDTV
Emphasising that satellite communications is of immense importance in India, Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia has indicated that the country is eager to welcome players like Elon Musk's Starlink.
Speaking exclusively to NDTV Profit on Tuesday, Mr Scindia was asked about the possibility of Starlink getting a licence and what it brings to the table from an Indian telecommunications sector perspective. The minister said he is "company agnostic and customer centric".
"Just like in civil aviation, or in the telecom service provider space, or in the ISP space or the fixed wireless access space, my job is to ensure that I provide choice to the consumer. And India is ready for SATCOM service delivery. All players across the world are welcome. As long as they comply with our regulations, they check the boxes and are ready to perform business in India, all are welcome in India," he said.
Pointing out that satellite connectivity as a service has immense potential and immense need in any country, including India, he said there are two key reasons for this: providing connectivity in areas that wouldn't get it otherwise, and because of how useful they are in times of calamities.
"There are certain areas across the globe which cannot be provided telephony through either RAN (Radio Access Network) towers, or through OFC (Optical Fibre Cable) being laid or through broadband. In those hostile terrains, the only option is to give connectivity through satellite. And, today, telephony and connectivity is not only a means of empowerment of communication, it's a means of empowerment of livelihood. And, therefore, it is our fiduciary responsibility to be able to provide that," he said.
"Second, in the times of natural calamity, and this has been proven again and again and again, satellite is the only recourse that humans have to be able to provide connectivity on a temporary basis. And therefore, in both those areas, satellite communications is extremely important. And we are eager to have that option in India for our customers as soon as possible," the telecom minister stressed.
Mobile Duopoly?
To a question on whether India is going to see a duopoly in terms of mobile operators, Mr Scindia said India is one of the few countries in the world that has four players.
"There are very few countries that can boast of four players that have a national network. And India stands out as a country that has four players. That is the status today, and I believe that should be the status going forward as well. Because my job is to make sure that the customers have choice," he said.
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