STARLINK'S INDIA APPROVAL OPENS NEW HORIZONS FOR SATELLITE INTERNET

Elon Musk's Starlink, the satellite internet arm of SpaceX, has cleared a significant milestone in its quest to bring high-speed connectivity to India.

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The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACE) granted final regulatory approval, positioning Starlink as the third company authorized to offer satellite broadband services in the country, alongside Eutelsat's OneWeb and Reliance Jio's satellite venture. This development marks a pivotal step toward bridging India's digital divide, particularly in underserved rural and remote regions, while setting the stage for fierce competition in the satellite communications market.

CLEARING THE REGULATORY GAUNTLET

Starlink's journey to secure approvals in India began in 2022 but faced numerous obstacles, including national security concerns and a contentious debate over spectrum allocation.

Last month, the company obtained a Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite (GMPCS) license from the Department of Telecommunications (DOT), a critical precursor to the IN-SPACe nod. The approval from IN-SPACE, valid until July 2030 or the end of Starlink's Gen1 satellite constellation's operational life, allows the company to deploy its low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite network over Indian airspace, promising up to 600 Gbps throughput for high-speed internet access.