New Delhi, October 8: The Government on Thursday rejected allegations by US entrepreneur Elon Musk that regulatory hurdles were blocking Starlink’s satellite communication services in India, asserting that the country has a fair and non-discriminatory framework for all telecom and satcom operators.
Musk had alleged on Wednesday that certain “oligarchs” were preventing Starlink from providing satellite communication services in India in order to protect their monopoly.
Responding to the claims, the Telecom Ministry said India’s regulatory framework applies equally to all telecom services, including satellite communication.
The Government also stressed that meeting prescribed security requirements is mandatory for every satcom licensee before services can be launched in the country.
India has granted satellite communication licences to three companies — Starlink, Jio Satcom and Eutelsat OneWeb. However, all three operators are required to obtain spectrum allocation and complete the necessary security clearances before beginning commercial operations.
The Ministry said every licensee must demonstrate compliance with security conditions to ensure that satellite services meet requirements related to the safety of users and protection of their data.
“Security assessment as part of this process is currently under way in respect of all three licensees,” the Ministry said.
According to the Government, once the security assessment is completed for a licensed company, it can move to the next stage of seeking spectrum assignment.
The Ministry said all three companies are currently broadly at the same regulatory stage, rejecting suggestions that Starlink was being treated differently.
It maintained that any claim that India’s satcom regulatory framework or its implementation is unfair or discriminatory is “baseless and misconceived.”
