Interestingly, two companies named OneWeb and Jio Satellite Communications have received the necessary approval from the government to launch satellite broadband in the country. Now Starlink is going to become the third name in this series.
mint report According, the Government of India has clarified that satellite broadband service providers can acquire spectrum through administrative means. This is a plus point for all those companies who want to bring their services to India. The report also claims that Starlink has been given permission to provide satellite broadband services in India. DoT (Department of Telecommunications) has reportedly awarded Global Mobile Personal Communication License (GMPCS) to Starlink, which is crucial for satellite internet.
However, even after getting this license, some regulatory approvals will be required, which Starlink will have to obtain. Only after that the company will be able to start its commercial services in the country.
Expectations were dealt a blow in 2022
Starlink’s hopes suffered a major setback in the year 2022. The company was hopeful that it would get a license from the Government of India. It also started taking pre-orders for satellite internet service. More than 5000 customers had made bookings for satellite broadband. After some time the booking amount started being refunded. Then SpaceX’s satellite internet division Starlink said that the Department of Telecommunications has instructed it to do so. Since then, Starlink has not been able to get the license to start services from the Government of India.