The government has provisionally assigned spectrum to three satellite communication companies to help them demonstrate compliance with India's technical and security requirements, according to Minister of State for Communications Chandra S Pemmasani in a written reply to Parliament. The companies include Airtel's OneWeb, Jio Satcom and Elon Musk's Starlink, all of which hold unified licences with authorisation to provide Global Mobile Personal Communications by Satellite (GMPCS) services.
The provisional spectrum allocation will allow the companies to conduct tests and demonstrate that their networks and operations meet the conditions prescribed by the government and security agencies. As reported by the minister, the provisional assignment is part of the regulatory process for satellite-based communication services in India. However, the assignment does not amount to permission for a full commercial rollout, with companies still needing to meet required security and technical conditions before launching services for consumers. Final approval for wider operations will depend on the completion of security clearances, technical compliance and other regulatory processes.
The government has been working on a regulatory framework for satcom services as companies prepare to offer satellite internet and other communication services in India. According to the minister's statement, key requirements include ensuring that data generated in India remains within the country, routing traffic through approved gateways and enabling monitoring by authorised agencies. The provisional allocation is expected to help the three companies test their systems and address compliance-related requirements before commercial services begin.
In late June this year, the Department of Telecommunications released draft rules under the Telecommunications Act, 2023, outlining eligibility criteria, spectrum charges, and assignment conditions for services that receive airwaves through administrative allocation rather than through auctions. As reported by the minister, however, the proposed framework does not explicitly cover satellite broadband operators such as Starlink, Eutelsat, OneWeb and Jio's satellite internet business, with the draft not referring to non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) satellite systems. The draft rules leave the regulatory treatment of low-Earth-orbit broadband services unclear, as they do not specifically address the operational requirements for these next-generation satellite systems.
