Govt may ease satcom security rules, opening door for Starlink

The Indian government is contemplating easing some security regulations for satellite communication licences to align them with international standards. This initiative could potentially facilitate companies such as Elon Musk’s Starlink and Jeff Bezos’s Amazon Kuiper in providing satellite-based telecom services in India.

Entities applying for satcom licences in India must adhere to 30-40 conditions under the Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite (GMPCS) system. While some of these stipulations may be relaxed, it remains uncertain which specific rules will be affected. The report suggests officials from the Department of Telecommunications and law enforcement agencies recently engaged in discussions about possible amendments, although national security continues to be a primary concern.

Applications from Starlink and Amazon Kuiper for GMPCS licences are pending, as both firms have yet to fulfil all security prerequisites. Starlink has communicated to the government that satcom regulations should be consistent with global standards, given the worldwide nature of the services. Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia recently stated that Starlink was in the process of securing necessary approvals but must fully comply with existing regulations before any licence is issued.

The discourse arises amid a broader debate between global satcom providers and Indian telecom companies, including Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea. The telecom operators advocate for satcom companies to acquire spectrum through auctions, akin to their process, instead of receiving it through administrative allocation. Nonetheless, the government has indicated that satellite spectrum will be allocated administratively but subject to a fee.

Starlink, with over 6,000 low-earth orbit satellites, has previously pledged to offer free connectivity to rural areas under government initiatives. Amazon’s Project Kuiper aims to deploy 3,236 satellites starting in 2025, with commercial services expected to commence later that year.

The government is anticipated to convene soon with companies that have applied for or received GMPCS licences, such as Bharti-backed Eutelsat OneWeb and Reliance Jio’s joint venture with SES. At stake is India’s space economy, which is projected to expand to $44 billion by 2033, capturing 8 per cent of the global market from its current 2 per cent, according to IN-SPACe, India’s space sector regulator. BusinessToday