Latest news with #GlobalMobilePersonalCommunicationsbySatellite
Time of India
09-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
'Trai on verge on finalising recommendations for satcom spectrum'
New Delhi: Having secured the Letter of Intent from the telecom department and agreed to security norms for offering satcom services, Starlink will now have to formally sign acceptance of the terms and conditions of the agreement and pay the stipulated entry fee to procure the licence, according to sources. Telecom Regulatory Authority of India ( Trai ) is on the verge of finalising its recommendations on pricing of administrative allocation of satcom spectrum , and an announcement can be expected any day now, sources said. Starlink has been issued the LoI for Global Mobile Personal Communications by Satellite (GMPCS), ISP and VSAT, they further said, adding that this has been the practice even for other players. Eventually, the system will work under a GMPCS licence. Sources said Starlink has agreed to the stringent security norms for satellite communication services after conditions were tightened earlier this week. Now that LoI has been issued, the next steps involved are acceptance of the letter of intent and the agreement. The licence will be issued after the entry fee is paid, they added. While the DoT licence will authorise Starlink to build its network, it would require approvals from the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) and obtain spectrum from the government to become operational. Starlink provides high-speed and low-latency broadband internet worldwide, using satellite technology and is aptly described by some as broadband beamed from the skies. Unlike conventional satellite services that rely on distant geostationary satellites, Starlink utilises the world's largest low Earth orbit or LEO constellation (550 km above Earth). This constellation of LEO satellites (7,000 now but eventually set to grow to over 40,000) and its mesh delivers broadband internet capable of supporting streaming, online gaming, and video calls. The government has already issued licences to Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio Satellite Communications , the terms of which will be recommended by Trai. The players will be able to start their services after the allocation of radio-wave frequencies. Earlier this week, the government issued stringent security norms mandating legal interception of satellite communication services and barred companies from linking the connection of users in any form with any terminal or facility located outside the country's border, as well as processing of their data overseas. The tighter security rules also mandate service providers to indigenise at least 20 per cent of their ground segment of the satellite network within years of their establishment in the country. According to the instruction, the satcom service licence holder will require security clearances for specific gateway and hub locations in India and compliance with monitoring, interception facilities and equipment requirements. India's rules mandate satcom firms to demonstrate system capabilities with respect to security aspects, including monitoring, to the Department of Telecom (DoT) or its authorised representatives before starting operations in India. On Tuesday, Union Minister Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani, while speaking at an industry event, had said that grant of approval to Elon Musk-led satellite internet provider is a complicated issue, but it is in the final stages. The Minister of State for Telecom had said the government's security norms for satcom are important, especially in the present scenario, where the hostile nation Pakistan is making an attempt to hack the country's system. The minister, however, added that Starlink will have a minuscule role in connectivity compared to traditional telecom networks. According to him, the role of Starlink or other satcom players will be mainly to connect the remote areas where the traditional networks find it difficult to reach, and it will be primarily for the inside home connectivity, not for mobile services. The minister had also sought to allay fears around satcom services eating into the addressable market of traditional telecom services, saying, "I want people to know whether Starlink and all that stuff, whether they come or not... they will be very small players even if they come". "It's very expensive to install the initial equipment. It is 10 times more expensive than our traditional models." He said that the monthly payment for consumers will also be quite expensive. Starlink, which had been vying for an Indian licence for some time now, recently signed pacts with Ambani's Reliance Jio and Mittal's Bharti Airtel, which together control more than 70 per cent of the country's telecom market, to bring the US satellite internet giant's services to India. Musk is scheduled to visit India later this year.
Time of India
09-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
TRAI on verge on finalising recommendations for satcom spectrum
Representative image Having secured the Letter of Intent from the telecom department and agreed to security norms for offering satcom services, Starlink will now have to formally sign acceptance of the terms and conditions of the agreement and pay the stipulated entry fee to procure the licence, according to sources. Telecom Regulatory Authority of India ( Trai ) is on the verge of finalising its recommendations on pricing of administrative allocation of satcom spectrum , and an announcement can be expected any day now, sources said. Operation Sindoor Operation Sindoor: 'India won't give face-saving exit to Pak army chief Asim Munir' IPL 2025: BCCI suspends league for one week amid India-Pakistan tensions India-Pakistan tensions: What's closed, emergency protocols & more Starlink has been issued the LoI for Global Mobile Personal Communications by Satellite (GMPCS), ISP and VSAT, they further said, adding that this has been the practice even for other players. Eventually, the system will work under a GMPCS licence. Sources said Starlink has agreed to the stringent security norms for satellite communication services after conditions were tightened earlier this week. Now that LoI has been issued, the next steps involved are acceptance of the letter of intent and the agreement. The licence will be issued after the entry fee is paid, they added. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Invest $200 in Amazon without buying stocks to earn a second salary Marketsall Sign Up While the DoT licence will authorise Starlink to build its network, it would require approvals from the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) and obtain spectrum from the government to become operational. Starlink provides high-speed and low-latency broadband internet worldwide, using satellite technology and is aptly described by some as broadband beamed from the skies. Unlike conventional satellite services that rely on distant geostationary satellites, Starlink utilises the world's largest low Earth orbit or LEO constellation (550 km above Earth). This constellation of LEO satellites (7,000 now but eventually set to grow to over 40,000) and its mesh delivers broadband internet capable of supporting streaming, online gaming, and video calls. The government has already issued licences to Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio Satellite Communications, the terms of which will be recommended by Trai. The players will be able to start their services after the allocation of radio-wave frequencies. Earlier this week, the government issued stringent security norms mandating legal interception of satellite communication services and barred companies from linking the connection of users in any form with any terminal or facility located outside the country's border, as well as processing of their data overseas. The tighter security rules also mandate service providers to indigenise at least 20 per cent of their ground segment of the satellite network within years of their establishment in the country. According to the instruction, the satcom service licence holder will require security clearances for specific gateway and hub locations in India and compliance with monitoring, interception facilities and equipment requirements. India's rules mandate satcom firms to demonstrate system capabilities with respect to security aspects, including monitoring, to the Department of Telecom (DoT) or its authorised representatives before starting operations in India. On Tuesday, Union Minister Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani, while speaking at an industry event, had said that grant of approval to Elon Musk-led satellite internet provider is a complicated issue, but it is in the final stages. The Minister of State for Telecom had said the government's security norms for satcom are important, especially in the present scenario, where the hostile nation Pakistan is making an attempt to hack the country's system. The minister, however, added that Starlink will have a minuscule role in connectivity compared to traditional telecom networks. According to him, the role of Starlink or other satcom players will be mainly to connect the remote areas where the traditional networks find it difficult to reach, and it will be primarily for the inside home connectivity, not for mobile services. The minister had also sought to allay fears around satcom services eating into the addressable market of traditional telecom services, saying, "I want people to know whether Starlink and all that stuff, whether they come or not... they will be very small players even if they come". "It's very expensive to install the initial equipment. It is 10 times more expensive than our traditional models." He said that the monthly payment for consumers will also be quite expensive. Starlink, which had been vying for an Indian licence for some time now, recently signed pacts with Ambani's Reliance Jio and Mittal's Bharti Airtel, which together control more than 70 per cent of the country's telecom market, to bring the US satellite internet giant's services to India. Musk is scheduled to visit India later this year. AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
The Hindu
06-05-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Government bans Indian satellite internet terminals from working outside India
Even as Elon Musk-owned satellite internet service Starlink awaits clearances to operate in India, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) this week issued further amendments to the Unified License (UL) and the Global Mobile Personal Communications by Satellite (GMPCS) authorisation, the latter of which satellite internet services need to begin offering their services in India. The requirements come in the wake of the Pahalgam attack in Kashmir. Many of the terms, issued through a circular by the DoT, echo existing requirements for all telecom licensees - such as enabling surveillance of users' web traffic, a requirement already in place for telecom operators and home broadband providers. But they come as an additional compliance burden at a crucial time, especially as Starlink faces a prolonged delay in obtaining the GMPCS authorisation, as well as satellite spectrum, which it needs to commence services. 'It is noteworthy that these security conditions have been introduced as an amendment to the Unified Licence itself, rather than as a separate guideline, ensuring that they are uniformly applicable to both existing GMPCS licensees and future applicants,' Mahwash Fatima, a public policy manager at tech policy firm The Quantum Hub told The Hindu. 'This provides regulatory consistency at a time when two players have already received GMPCS licences and others are in the pipeline.' While the amendments harmonise many requirements between telecom operators and satellite operators in the future, a key requirement may well be unprecedented anywhere in the world, and undermine Starlink's allure to some of its customers in India. Namely, while satellite terminals sold abroad must be disabled on Indian soil, the amendments also require that Indian-purchased terminals be disabled in other countries. Another unique requirement is that terminals must eventually be manufactured in India, within a five year span. 'The intent behind mandating geo-fencing is to prevent cross-border signal spillover, especially in sensitive regions, and to ensure that satellite connectivity can be monitored, intercepted, and governed in India,' Ms. Fatima said. This may 'create operational challenges for roaming terminals, such as those used in aviation, maritime, etc.,' she added. Starlink offers plans that work internationally, under a global roaming scheme, and this service will be unavailable to Indians traveling abroad, even when they're in a country where Starlink is expressly permitted, forcing them to potentially buy a second terminal when abroad - which they are prohibited from possessing in India. While Starlink inked deals with Jio Platforms Ltd, and Bharti Airtel Ltd. to distribute its services through the telcos, the firm faces enormous regulatory friction; the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India is yet to publish guidelines on how firms like Starlink can acquire spectrum, and the Department of Telecommunications has not indicated that it is in a hurry to begin that process either. The firm's executives met Commerce and Industries Minister Piyush Goyal last month where they reportedly discussed their entry to the Indian market.
