Starlink Secures License to Operate in India
The government is satisfied with Elon Musk's Starlink's answers on data storage and transfer regulations, therefore the company will be allowed to begin providing voice and data communication services from space in the nation. Starlink appears to have provided us with satisfactory responses to our questions. The business will receive a global mobile personal communication via satellite services (GMPCS) permit to provide services once the security inspection is finished.
Starlink, a SpaceX company, will be able to provide phone, messaging, and satellite broadband services to businesses and consumers thanks to the licence. Starlink had previously informed the government that it would adhere to international standards for data storage and transfer because its constellation was global in scope. The Indian government, which insisted that Starlink adhere to Indian regulations on data storage, rejected this stance.
Since the company will hold a licence in India, data must be housed there. The business has now consented to comply. At the time of going to press, Starlink had not responded to a question about its submission to the Indian government. After OneWeb, funded by Bharti, and Reliance Jio's satcom division, Starlink will become the third company to receive a GMPCS licence if it receives approval.
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has received an application for a licence from Jeff Bezos's Amazon, but the government has not yet taken it up for consideration. The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe), an autonomous space regulator, must also grant approval to satcom service providers. IN-SPACe now has the authority to function as a single-window agency to authorise the whole range of space activities by both government and private satellite communication companies, thanks to India's new Space Policy 2023.