NEW DELHI: The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is set to convene an inter-ministerial meeting this week to address security concerns related to granting a licence to Elon Musk’s Starlink for satellite broadband services in India.
While Jio Satellite Communications and Bharti-backed OneWeb have secured licences, Starlink’s application remains pending on security-related issues. A senior DoT official confirmed that the meeting aims to discuss the potential security implications of Starlink’s operations in the country. The company has not withdrawn its bid for the Indian market.
“We are meeting this week to discuss the security implications of Starlink services in the country. The company has not withdrawn its bid to start its services in the country,” said the official. Starlink, along with Jio Satellite Communications and OneWeb, had applied for the global mobile personal communication by satellite services (GMPCS) licence, which offers satellite communication services in licensed service areas in the country.
Jio Satellite Communications and OneWeb have received licence to provide satellite broadband services in the country. Jeff Bezos-led Amazon, too, applied for a licence for its Project Kuiper satellite broadband venture. Elon-Musk-led-Starlink’s licence application is still pending.
As per licensing guidelines for Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite Services (GMPCS), all traffic originating or terminating within India must pass through a GMPCS Gateway Switch located domestically. Additionally, the licence is contingent upon security clearance from an inter-ministerial committee.
Awaits security clearance
According to the licensing guidelines, all traffic originating or terminating in India must pass through a GMPCS Gateway Switch located domestically