Latest news with #NGSO
India.com
2 days ago
- Business
- India.com
Its Mukesh Ambani, Sunil Mittal vs Elon Musk again as Jio and Airtel gets ready to...
(File) Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Jio and Sunil Mittal-owned Bharti Airtel, two of India's largest telecom service providers, are once again at odds with Starlink– the satcom service owned by world's richest man Elon Musk– following a brief truce between the domestic telecom major and the US-based satcom giant. Jio, Airtel object to TRAI recommendations According to a report by the Times of India (TOI), domestic telecom providers, including Jio and Airtel, have objected to the recommendations made by TRAI regarding spectrum allocation to satcom companies, alleging that these are 'non-transparent and non- justifiable', and tilted in favor of satellite companies over domestic terrestrial operators. In a statement, the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), which represents Indian telecom firms, rejected TRAI's assumption that satcom will merely be a fringe player with business presence limited to rural areas and remote, unconnected regions. COAI asserted that in 'reality', satcom service will be in direct competition with terrestrial networks. 'These recommendations thus create a substantial regulatory arbitrage as they fail to appreciate that in reality, satellite communication services are fast emerging as full-fledged competitors in the broadband market and the leading NGSO (non-geostationary satellite orbits) constellations are actively targeting retail and enterprise users in all geographies, including urban and well-connected regions,' said COAI DG Lt. Gen. (Retd) SP Kochhar, as per the TOI report. TRAI recommendations 'non-transparent', says COAI COAI also accused TRAI of not paying attention to any inputs provided by local telecom majors in its recommendations, and these inputs are now under consideration by the Telecom Ministry. It termed the TRAI recommendations as non-transparent, and based on 'non-justifiable assumption' rather than factual data. 'The limited consideration of stakeholder inputs coupled with the absence of comprehensive consultation on key issues — such as ensuring a level-playing field, evaluating network capacity, determining assignment methods, and establishing fair spectrum valuation—along with reliance on flawed assumptions, has culminated in recommendations that are not only inequitable but may also contravene the principles embodied in the Telecommunications Act, 2023,' the COAI stated. Mukesh Ambani, Sunil Mittal vs Elon Musk Earlier, domestic telecom operators led by Mukesh Ambani-owned Jio and Sunil Mittal's Airtel, had objected the government's decision to allocate spectrum on administrative basis to satellite communication (satcom) companies. However, Jio and Airtel later decided to partner with Starlink, weeks after Elon Musk met Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his US visit in February. Domestic firms purchase spectrum or airwaves via auctions, and COAI has raised objected to the 'differential spectrum pricing' suggested for terrestrial services versus satcom operators.', demanding that price per MHz should be equivalent or at least comparable for both, especially when used to reach the same consumers for identical services. Recently, Elon Musk-owned Starlink received a letter of intent (LOI) from the telecom ministry to begin services, and now awaits a formal license to start its India operations.
Time of India
26-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
India ramps up satellite monitoring, spectrum safeguards to secure national interests ahead of satcom boom
As satellite-based communication services near commercial rollout, the Indian government is stepping up efforts to secure national interests amid expected dominance by global players such as Elon Musk's Starlink, Jeff Bezos-led Amazon Kuiper, and Eutelsat OneWeb. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Officials aware of the matter told The Economic Times that a slew of strategic measures are being finalized to boost domestic capabilities in the satcom space. These include setting up a satellite monitoring facility with an outlay of over Rs 930 crore, reserving spectrum and orbital resources for Indian non-geostationary satellite orbit (NGSO) operators, and creating a favourable regulatory ecosystem for establishing gateways within India. 'Some of the measures are likely to be announced through the new Telecom Policy, which will create a roadmap for the next five years or by 2030,' said one official. Another official said the Digital Communications Commission (DCC)—the top inter-ministerial panel within the Department of Telecommunications (DoT)—has already cleared the proposal for the satellite monitoring facility. This facility will track both Indian and foreign satellites operating over Indian airspace and monitor satellite-based communication services. 'Apart from monitoring, the facility would be helpful for mitigating interference from adjacent satellites in the Indian sky and there would be better coordination,' the official added. At present, India has limited presence in the low-earth orbit (LEO) satellite communications market, which is gaining traction due to its high-speed, low-latency potential. In contrast, global players are expanding rapidly: Starlink already has nearly 7,000 satellites in orbit, Amazon Kuiper plans to launch more than 3,000, and Eutelsat OneWeb currently operates over 600 satellites. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now While the Bharti Group holds the largest stake in Eutelsat OneWeb, its operational capacity still falls short of Starlink and Kuiper. 'There is no India LEO satellite operator as of now, but the situation may change in future and that is why the government does not want Indian entities to be on the backfoot,' the official noted, adding that spectrum and orbital slots would be reserved for upcoming Indian ventures. The government is also considering enabling frameworks to promote ground stations and gateway infrastructure from India, potentially allowing the country to serve as a regional hub. These gateways—critical for supporting NGSO satellite constellations—are complex and capital-intensive installations comprising multiple antennas. 'The law enforcement agencies can take a call which countries can be allowed to be served from Indian gateways,' the official said. According to IN-SPACe, India's space economy has the potential to reach $44 billion by 2033, up from a current global share of just 2 per cent to a projected 8 per cent. The commercial rollout of satcom services is expected in the coming months, contingent on spectrum allocation by DoT. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has already recommended that satcom spectrum be administratively allocated for five years at a fee of 4 per cent of adjusted gross revenue (AGR). 'Already there are many startups in the satcom space, and the government wants India to emerge as a major player in the satellite market. The regulatory framework will be streamlined and simplified to unlock the potential of the satellite market,' said the second official. The preliminary draft of the new telecom policy is expected to include these structural changes, with a focus on building domestic capacity while maintaining sovereign control over satellite infrastructure and data.
Time of India
26-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Centre to safeguard national interests as global satcom players seek entry
With satcom services set to be mainstreamed soon, the government is prioritising national safeguards in light of the expected overseas dominance of firms such as Elon Musk-owned Starlink , Jeff Bezos-led Amazon Kuiper , and Eutelsat OneWeb . Officials aware of the details told ET among the measures that will be taken include setting up a satcom monitoring facility with an outlay of over '900 crore to track satellites (Indian and foreign) over Indian skies, reserving orbital and spectrum resources for upcoming Indian satellites, especially NGSO (non- geostationary), and having a favourable ecosystem to set up gateways in India, that will serve local and global operations. "Some of the measures are likely to be announced through the new Telecom Policy , which will create a roadmap for the next five years or by 2030," said one of the officials. A second official said the Digital Communications Commission (DCC), which is an inter-ministerial panel and the highest decision-making body of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), has already cleared the proposal for setting up the satellite monitoring facility with an outlay of around '930 crore. The facility, once operational, will monitor both local and foreign satellites over Indian skies and satellite-based communication services in the country. "Apart from monitoring, the facility would be helpful for mitigating interference from adjacent satellites in the Indian sky and there would be better coordination," the official said. Currently, the Indian participation is minimal in the satcom market, particularly in the low-earth orbit (LEO), which is increasingly becoming lucrative from a communications point of view. US Billionaires Starlink is the dominant player with around 7,000 satellites already in orbit. Amazon Kuiper, too, is going to have more than 3,000 satellites, while Eutelsat OneWeb has more than 600 satellites in the sky. The Bharti Group is the largest stakeholder in Eutelsat OneWeb, but its capacity is far lower than Starlink and what Kuiper can offer in the coming years. There is no India LEO satellite operator as of now, but the situation may change in future and that is why the government does not want Indian entities to be on the backfoot when they consider entering in the coming years, towards which resources would be reserved for them, officials said. "Already there are many startups in the satcom space, and the government wants India to emerge as a major player in the satellite market. The regulatory framework will be streamlined and simplified to unlock the potential of the satellite market," said the second official. The preliminary draft of the new telecom policy calls for establishing an effective regulatory framework to safeguard the country's interests and sovereign rights to keep optimal orbital and spectrum resources for upcoming Indian satellites, especially NGSO. Also, there would be an enabling framework for provisioning ground stations as a service (GSaaS) from India on a global level. India can act as a hub of gateways for serving countries. Setting up satellite earth station gateways for NGSO systems is a capital-intensive exercise and also very complex in nature consisting of multiple antennas. The NGSO operators, therefore, want to establish an optimum number of gateways to serve various jurisdictions across the globe.
Economic Times
25-05-2025
- Business
- Economic Times
Centre to safeguard national interests as global Satcom players seek entry
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel With satcom services set to be mainstreamed soon, the government is prioritising national safeguards in light of the expected overseas dominance of firms such as Elon Musk-owned Starlink , Jeff Bezos-led Amazon Kuiper , and Eutelsat OneWeb Officials aware of the details told ET among the measures that will be taken include setting up a satcom monitoring facility with an outlay of over '900 crore to track satellites (Indian and foreign) over Indian skies, reserving orbital and spectrum resources for upcoming Indian satellites, especially NGSO (non- geostationary), and having a favourable ecosystem to set up gateways in India, that will serve local and global operations."Some of the measures are likely to be announced through the new Telecom Policy, which will create a roadmap for the next five years or by 2030," said one of the officials.A second official said the Digital Communications Commission (DCC), which is an inter-ministerial panel and the highest decision-making body of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), has already cleared the proposal for setting up the satellite monitoring facility with an outlay of around '930 facility, once operational, will monitor both local and foreign satellites over Indian skies and satellite-based communication services in the country. "Apart from monitoring, the facility would be helpful for mitigating interference from adjacent satellites in the Indian sky and there would be better coordination," the official the Indian participation is minimal in the satcom market, particularly in the low-earth orbit (LEO), which is increasingly becoming lucrative from a communications point of is the dominant player with around 7,000 satellites already in orbit. Amazon Kuiper, too, is going to have more than 3,000 satellites, while Eutelsat OneWeb has more than 600 satellites in the sky. The Bharti Group is the largest stakeholder in Eutelsat OneWeb, but its capacity is far lower than Starlink and what Kuiper can offer in the coming is no India LEO satellite operator as of now, but the situation may change in future and that is why the government does not want Indian entities to be on the backfoot when they consider entering in the coming years, towards which resources would be reserved for them, officials said."Already there are many startups in the satcom space, and the government wants India to emerge as a major player in the satellite market. The regulatory framework will be streamlined and simplified to unlock the potential of the satellite market," said the second preliminary draft of the new telecom policy calls for establishing an effective regulatory framework to safeguard the country's interests and sovereign rights to keep optimal orbital and spectrum resources for upcoming Indian satellites, especially NGSO. Also, there would be an enabling framework for provisioning ground stations as a service (GSaaS) from India on a global level. India can act as a hub of gateways for serving up satellite earth station gateways for NGSO systems is a capital-intensive exercise and also very complex in nature consisting of multiple antennas. The NGSO operators, therefore, want to establish an optimum number of gateways to serve various jurisdictions across the globe.
Time of India
25-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Centre to safeguard national interests as global Satcom players seek entry
With satcom services set to be mainstreamed soon, the government is prioritising national safeguards in light of the expected overseas dominance of firms such as Elon Musk-owned Starlink , Jeff Bezos-led Amazon Kuiper , and Eutelsat OneWeb . Officials aware of the details told ET among the measures that will be taken include setting up a satcom monitoring facility with an outlay of over '900 crore to track satellites (Indian and foreign) over Indian skies, reserving orbital and spectrum resources for upcoming Indian satellites, especially NGSO (non- geostationary), and having a favourable ecosystem to set up gateways in India, that will serve local and global operations. "Some of the measures are likely to be announced through the new Telecom Policy, which will create a roadmap for the next five years or by 2030," said one of the officials. A second official said the Digital Communications Commission (DCC), which is an inter-ministerial panel and the highest decision-making body of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), has already cleared the proposal for setting up the satellite monitoring facility with an outlay of around '930 crore. Live Events The facility, once operational, will monitor both local and foreign satellites over Indian skies and satellite-based communication services in the country. "Apart from monitoring, the facility would be helpful for mitigating interference from adjacent satellites in the Indian sky and there would be better coordination," the official said. Currently, the Indian participation is minimal in the satcom market, particularly in the low-earth orbit (LEO), which is increasingly becoming lucrative from a communications point of view. US Billionaires Starlink is the dominant player with around 7,000 satellites already in orbit. Amazon Kuiper, too, is going to have more than 3,000 satellites, while Eutelsat OneWeb has more than 600 satellites in the sky. The Bharti Group is the largest stakeholder in Eutelsat OneWeb, but its capacity is far lower than Starlink and what Kuiper can offer in the coming years. There is no India LEO satellite operator as of now, but the situation may change in future and that is why the government does not want Indian entities to be on the backfoot when they consider entering in the coming years, towards which resources would be reserved for them, officials said. "Already there are many startups in the satcom space, and the government wants India to emerge as a major player in the satellite market. The regulatory framework will be streamlined and simplified to unlock the potential of the satellite market," said the second official. The preliminary draft of the new telecom policy calls for establishing an effective regulatory framework to safeguard the country's interests and sovereign rights to keep optimal orbital and spectrum resources for upcoming Indian satellites, especially NGSO. Also, there would be an enabling framework for provisioning ground stations as a service (GSaaS) from India on a global level. India can act as a hub of gateways for serving countries. Setting up satellite earth station gateways for NGSO systems is a capital-intensive exercise and also very complex in nature consisting of multiple antennas. The NGSO operators, therefore, want to establish an optimum number of gateways to serve various jurisdictions across the globe.
