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Time of India
2 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
How the Satcom permit may force Elon Musk's Starlink to do in India what it has been refusing to do so far: Listen to ...
Elon Musk 's Starlink recently received a licence from the telecom department for providing satellite internet services (Satcom) in India. The licence is a key milestone that will take it closer towards launching commercial operations in the country. With this, Starlink becomes the third company after Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio Satellite Communications to get a licence from the Department of Telecommunications ( DoT ) to provide satellite internet services in the country. A fourth applicant, Amazon's Kuiper is still waiting for approvals. Starlink's satcom permit from the Indian government may now force the company to do what it had not been doing so far per se, which is cooperate with security agencies on matters related to India's national security. As a report in Economic Times says, the licence will make it mandatory for Starlink to share information, including details of users or owners of satellite kits seized in the country, particularly in the North-East region in the past few months, information that the US company was unwilling to share earlier. When Startlink said no to India's security agencies India's security agencies have reportedly pointed out the misuse of Starlink devices in Indian territory, especially in the border areas, officials said. However, the Elon Musk-owned company has been reluctant to provide details, directing agencies to use US law enforcement or international protocols. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Spiele kostenlos in deinem Browser - Kein Download oder Installation erforderlich! Taonga Farm Jetzt spielen Undo In March this year, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) reportedly asked the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to investigate, as Starlink's non-cooperation raised concerns. The DoT has not yet submitted its report, but officials note that with the satcom license, Starlink must comply or risk a show cause notice and potential license revocation. Experts have 'security warning' on Satcom services Experts warn that Starlink services in Bhutan and Bangladesh could lead to smuggled terminals in India due to challenges in geofencing international borders. Security remains a priority, and none of the three satcom licensees -- Starlink, Bharti-backed Eutelsat OneWeb, and Reliance Jio-SES -- have so far received security clearances, delaying commercial operations. While OneWeb and Jio-SES have trial spectrum and have conducted security demonstrations, Starlink, which received its Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite permit last week, has not yet been allocated trial airwaves. OneWeb and Jio-SES have had Satcom permits and IN-SPACe approval for over two years, while Starlink awaits regulatory clearance. AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
Time of India
3 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Security topmost priority: Elon Musk's Starlink may've to share data on seized kits under Indian satcom permit; US company was unwilling to…
Elon Musk's Starlink may now be required to share user data under its new satcom permit from the Indian government. This includes details of satellite kits seized in India, especially in the North-East region—information the company had previously declined to share. This comes after Indian security agencies raised concerns over the suspected misuse of Starlink devices along border areas. India's security agencies have pointed out the misuse of Starlink devices in Indian territory, especially in the border areas, the Economic Times said, quoting officials. Authorities flagged instances where Starlink kits were found operating without authorisation. However, Starlink had not been cooperating in providing details of the seized devices, instead asking Indian security agencies to route requests through US law enforcement or international protocols. The new licensing condition now compels Starlink to comply with Indian regulations and cooperate with local security agencies on data requests. This prompted the ministry of home affairs (MHA) to write to the department of telecommunications (DoT) in March, urging a probe into the matter, officials told ET. The DoT has not yet submitted its report to the MHA. Previously, Starlink avoided direct cooperation, insisting that security agencies route their requests through US law enforcement or international channels. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Buy Brass Idols - Handmade Brass Statues for Home & Gifting Luxeartisanship Buy Now Undo This non-cooperation prompted the Ministry of Home Affairs to request the Department of Telecommunications to investigate the situation in March. The DoT's report to the MHA remains pending. Officials indicate that the new satcom licence will compel Starlink to share these details, with potential consequences including show cause notices or licence revocation for non-compliance. SpaceX, Starlink's parent company, has not responded yet. The DoT received instructions to investigate and implement protective measures for national security. With Bhutan and Bangladesh now offering commercial Starlink services, experts suggest potential complications from smuggled terminals, as precise geofencing of international borders presents challenges. Experts warn that the situation could become more complex as Bhutan and Bangladesh have started commercially offering Starlink services, raising the risk of terminals being smuggled into India. Geofencing may not effectively track exact international borders, posing further security challenges. Security remains the top priority for satellite communication (satcom) in India. So far, none of the three licensed players — Bharti-backed Eutelsat OneWeb, Reliance Jio-SES, and Starlink — have received final security clearances, which continues to delay commercial rollouts. Officials said Jio-SES has nearly completed its demos, while Eutelsat-OneWeb will take longer. Both companies already have satcom permits and approvals from India's space regulator, IN-SPACe, for over two years. Starlink, however, is still awaiting clearance from the regulator. As per rules, satcom license holders must monitor all data traffic, establish satellite earth stations and control centers within India, and ensure that all traffic to or from India routes through domestic gateways. They are also required to create buffer zones along international borders. A government official told the Economic Times that, "In case of violation of the license conditions, the licensor (DoT) may take suitable action including suspension, revocation or termination of the license and imposition of financial penalty on the licensee." In December last year, security agencies discovered Starlink devices alongside weapons in Manipur. Another illegal Starlink device was found in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Starlink also ran into trouble in 2021 when it began accepting bookings and collecting advance payments from Indian users without regulatory approval. The DoT ordered the company to stop and issued a public advisory. Starlink eventually canceled the bookings and refunded users. Stay informed with the latest business news, updates on bank holidays and public holidays . AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
Time of India
20-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
India to lead global telco QoS benchmarks, satcom rollouts: Jyotiraditya Scindia
NEW DELHI: India's telecom regulator has proactively released regulations to improve service quality for millions of mobile subscribers, and the Centre expects that telecom carriers will lead the way in surpassing global quality-of-service benchmarks, said Union Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Tuesday. 'It is my sincere hope that all our telco providers will move up the value chain in terms of quality of service beyond international benchmarks,' Scindia said at the World Telecom Day 2025 event organised by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). He added that the telecom sector also needs to prioritise performance, transparency, and accountability, while also focusing on ensuring online safety and security. The union minister also said that the industry is now seeing the emergence of new connectivity technology, i.e., satellite commuincations (satcom), and added that it will be complementary to the mobile services. 'TRAI has come out with its regulations for administrative assignment. Multiple players have availed of a license, and I am very confident that this roll out on the satellite network as well will probably be the fastest in the world in the years to come, growing from the current $2.3 billion market to almost a $20 billion market by 2028,' Scindia said, drawing parallels to the world's fastest roll-out of fifth-generation (5G) mobile networks in the nation. This represents a 10x market value growth over the next three years. 'These are growth rates that you will probably not see anywhere else in the world,' the union minister said. Satcom companies in the fray include Elon Musk-owned Starlink, Jeff Bezos-owned Amazon Kuiper, Bharti Group-backed Eutelsat OneWeb and Reliance Jio-SES, Globalstar, among others. At stake is India's growing space economy, which is reckoned to have a potential to touch $44 billion by 2033, boosting its global share to 8% from 2% currently, as per space regulator IN-SPACe. Starlink has recently received a letter of intent (LoI) from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) for a satcom licence. It now needs clearance from the space regulator and allotment of airwaves before it can start services. Bharti-backed Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio-SES have already got all clearances to launch commercial satellite broadband services. They await airwaves. 'Focus on affordability' Scindia said the affordability of mobile data has been a focus area of the Ministry of Communications , noting that costs have dropped from ₹287 per GB to just ₹9 GB today. 'We are today the cheapest data market in the world. The average cost of data (1 GB) across the world is $2.9. We have one of the most affordable data rates due to the public-private sector partnership that we have been able to scale up,' the union minister said. Citing research reports, Scindia said the average monthly data usage per subscriber has grown by 349 times – from 61MB to about 21.5GB today. 'These statistics are unheard of in the world,' he added. He underscored that the government is focusing on delivering connectivity anytime and anywhere in the country, citing the 4G and 5G saturation programmes, which have a financial outlay of ₹26,316 crore to connect about 27,000 villages. 'We have deployed 9,300 towers, and another 11,000 towers more will be installed. I must commend our private sector, which has led one of the fastest 5G rollouts across the world,' the union minister said. Scindia said that in just 22 months, since the launch of fifth-generation (5G) services in October 22, 99% of India's districts, covering 82% of the population, are receiving 5G coverage.
Time of India
15-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Jeff Bezos' Project Kuiper eyes India's satellite internet market after Musk's Starlink
New Delhi: Jeff Bezos-led Project Kuiper may enter India's lucrative satellite internet market hot on the heels of Elon Musk 's Starlink , having recently approached the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) for swift approval of its application. Like Starlink, Kuiper plans to have massive satcom capacity in India. The Amazon-backed major plans to set up 10 gateways and two points of presence in Mumbai and Chennai, multiple people aware of the details told ET. 'The company wrote to DoT recently, requesting to expedite issuance of a letter of intent (LoI) for a satcom (Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite) permit,' one of the persons said. The letter was written before the DoT last week issued an LoI to Starlink, he added. Bharti-backed Eutelsat OneWeb and Reliance Jio-SES JV have already got the Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite (GMPCS) permit. Kuiper-Starlink to Generate Majority of India Capacity The two have also got clearances from space regulator Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe). Apple's satcom partner Globalstar has also applied to IN-SPACe for clearances to offer services in India. 'Amazon applied to DoT nearly two years back and, as the company has commenced commercial launch of satellites, it wants to secure all approvals before it starts offering commercial services later this year,' a second person cited above said. Last month, Kuiper had deployed 27 satellites in space and more launches are planned in coming months. It plans to have a low earth orbit (LEO) constellation of over 3,200 satellites with most of them likely to be deployed by February-March next year. The timelines may, however, vary as the first scheduled commercial launch got delayed by a few months, according to experts. An ET query to Amazon regarding its request for expeditious approval remained unanswered at press time Wednesday. Experts said that capacities generated by Kuiper and Starlink—which already has over 7,000 LEO satellites in space—would by far be the highest among competitors. In contrast, Eutelsat OneWeb has 648 LEO satellites and the Jio-SES combine will have around 11 medium earth orbit (MEO) satellites. Starlink plans to have three gateways in India compared to Kuiper's 10, while Eutelsat-OneWeb and Jio-SES have two gateways each. So, the majority of capacity that can be generated and used in India will come from the two US majors. Currently, non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) satellites in India have a total bandwidth capacity of about 70 gigabits per second (Gbps) while that of geostationary orbit (GSO) satellites is lower at about 58 Gbps. But once the LEO constellations are operational, the capacity will skyrocket to a few terabytes. In terms of distance from earth, Kuiper's satellites are placed at 450 kilometres above earth, slightly lower than Starlink's altitude of about 550 km. OneWeb satellites are at greater distances than Starlink, at about 1,200 km in the LEO orbit while Jio-SES operates in MEO orbit at over 8,000 km. Satellites, which are near the earth orbit, can offer better speeds but the coverage is lower, so more numbers need to be put up in space. Kuiper plans to offer broadband speeds ranging from 100 megabits per second (Mbps) to 1 gigabit per second (Gbps) through various plans across a variety of consumers, including retail, enterprise, etc. The pricing details are to be announced later. Besides the GMPCS and space regulator's approval, companies need spectrum to be allotted for starting commercial services in India. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) recently recommended administrative allocation of satcom spectrum for a fee pegged at 4% of the adjusted gross revenue (AGR). Once the Union cabinet approves the proposal, spectrum will be allocated to companies for commercial launch of satellite internet services. India's space economy is reckoned to have a potential to touch $44 billion by 2033, boosting its global share to 8% from 2% currently, as per IN-SPACe. Both Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel have already partnered Starlink to sell its equipment and services at their outlets, besides exploring other means of cooperation. Starlink is exploring talks with other satcom companies for potential tie-ups, ET had reported recently.
Time of India
15-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
After Elon Musk's Starlink, Jeff Bezos' Amazon Project Kuiper may enter India's lucrative satellite internet market
After 's Starlink, Amazon's Project Kuiper, under 's leadership, is seeking to enter India's satellite internet sector. It has approached the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) for application approval. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The satellite communications sector in India already includes established players like Bharti-backed and Reliance Jio-SES JV, both holding GMPCS permits and IN-SPACe clearances. Additionally, Globalstar, Apple's satellite communications partner, has submitted applications to IN-SPACe for operational authorisation in India. The Amazon-supported venture intends to establish substantial satellite communications infrastructure in India, including ten gateways and two presence points situated in Mumbai and Chennai, according to multiple sources familiar with the situation who spoke to ET. A source revealed that the organisation recently submitted correspondence to DoT, seeking quick issuance of a letter of intent for satellite communications authorisation (Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite). Amazon Satellite Internet plans for India This communication preceded DoT's recent issuance of an LoI to Starlink, the source confirmed. Amazon submitted its application to DoT approximately two years ago, and with its satellite launches now underway, the company seeks to obtain all necessary approvals before launching commercial services later this year, according to a source familiar with the matter. Kuiper launched 27 satellites into orbit last month, with additional launches scheduled in the upcoming months. The company aims to establish a low earth orbit (LEO) constellation exceeding 3,200 satellites, with the majority expected to be operational by February-March next year. Also Read | Industry analysts note that these timelines could shift, considering the initial commercial launch experienced several months of delay. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Industry specialists indicate that the satellite capacity generated by Kuiper and Starlink, which currently operates over 7,000 LEO satellites, would significantly exceed their competitors. For comparison, Eutelsat OneWeb operates 648 LEO satellites, whilst the Jio-SES partnership will utilise approximately 11 medium earth orbit (MEO) satellites. Starlink intends to establish three gateways in India, whereas Kuiper plans for 10. Eutelsat-OneWeb and Jio-SES will each maintain two gateways. Consequently, the two American companies will provide the bulk of satellite capacity available for use in India. Present non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) satellites in India offer a total bandwidth capacity of roughly 70 gigabits per second (Gbps), while geostationary orbit (GSO) satellites provide approximately 58 Gbps. However, the implementation of LEO constellations will substantially increase this capacity to several terabytes.
