Final rollout now
depends on spectrum allocation by the Indian government as advised by TRAI.
The question of
whether India's skies will be opened up for satellite internet services has
been almost answered. Starlink has received InSpace's approval. Bharti Airtel,
Eutelsat OneWeb, and Reliance Jio have already overcome similar hurdles and
obtained approval, but the arrival of Starlink, a global market giant that
currently serves 100 countries, has been a big topic of discussion in India for
years. The reason for this is that it is the initiative of Elon Musk, a tech
entrepreneur and later the right-hand man of the US President for a while.
Beyond that, there are other economic and political reasons.
Without cables or
mobile towers, receiving signals through a small dish antenna, and providing
internet access to places where even electricity does not reach, in deserts and
mountainous areas, and even in battlefields where the enemy has razed the
country to the ground, Starlink, which has made history, faced unprecedented
obstacles in India.
Starlink's first
major setback occurred in 2021 when TRAI intervened, refunding the
approximately Rs 7,400 it had paid for not providing internet distribution
permission and spectrum. Joe Biden was the president of the United States at
that time. The arrival of Trump in power after Biden replaced him and Elon Musk
became Trump's right-hand man, which accelerated Starlink's entry into India.
Musk, who had been trying for years to get the GMPCS (Global Mobile Personal
Communication by Satellite) license from the Department of Telecom, which is
the permission for satellite internet in the country, received that permission
only this past June. Four months after Elon Musk and Prime Minister Narendra
Modi discussed space opportunities at Blair House, the US President's guest
house, on February 14, Starlink can now start serving in the country if the
center allocates more spectrum as recommended by TRAI.
Demands and
conditions
In a country where
telecom companies have won 5G spectrum in the auction for one and a quarter
lakh crore rupees, the dispute has escalated over Starlink's demand for
spectrum without much cost. Starlink's demand that India comply with global
standards and the stance of Indian cellular operators not to allow it have
become a crisis. The decision to allow spectrum without an auction in the 2023
Space Policy has benefited Starlink.
The arrival of
Starlink was facilitated when Elon Musk accepted the demands that everything,
including the personal information of citizens within the country, be kept
within the country and that nothing should go outside the country, that the
ground infrastructure system be established within the country, and that
conditions related to national security be accepted.
Still, the issues
raised by the country's traditional telecom companies remain unresolved.
Telecom companies still say that the benefits of spectrum are technically and
economically beneficial, and that if companies like Starlink are allowed to use
it without an auction, the country will become a venue for many unhealthy
competitions. The Cellular Operators Association of India had also urged the
government to review the government's policy in the Indian market, where giants
including Amazon's Kuiper and others are dominating not only Starlink but also
the Indian market.
Will there be a
change?
The tech world sees
the final approval of Starlink as an end to all concerns, and the country has
stepped into the new satellite internet sector. In a country where many are
waiting for the arrival of Elon Musk, some consider Starlink with Tesla as
doubly sweet. Tesla is about to open its first showroom in the country in
Bandra, Mumbai.
Preparations for
entering the Starlink market had started long ago. They first joined hands with
Bharti Airtel and Jio, who were at the forefront of the dispute, that too as
Starlink's distributors in the country.
The Starlink
connection, including the receiver and other components, is expected to cost
around Rs 33,000. The monthly cost will be around Rs 3,000. Reports suggest
that Starlink is also planning to offer an initial free subscription of Rs 840.
Although there is a huge difference compared to the current broadband prices in
the country, the arrival of Starlink cannot be seen as small when considering
the nature and location of the users.
Read More: Musk’s Starlink All Set to Launch in India: Will It Be Affordable, and Who Will Be Impacted?
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