Musk’s Starlink is working on Indian security clearance for satellite broadband
Elon Musk’s Starlink is seeking security clearance for a license to provide satellite broadband services in India and will be granted a license if it meets all conditions, the telecommunications minister said on Tuesday.
Starlink has wanted to enter India for years, and its plans got a big boost last month when New Delhi said it would not auction spectrum for satellite broadband, but rather award it administratively – just as Musk wanted. Rival Indian telecom billionaire Mukesh Ambani had wanted an auction.
Indian telecom minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Tuesday that Starlink was in the process of obtaining a security clearance, which requires it to convince New Delhi that the company processes and stores data locally and that its satellite signals are secure.
“If you tick all the boxes, you will get the license. If they (Starlink) do that, we will be very happy,” Scindia said at an event in New Delhi.
A security clearance would bring Starlink a step closer to Musk’s plans to offer broadband to Indians, a market that Ambani’s Reliance Jio currently dominates with 14 million landline subscribers.
Ambani, Asia’s richest man, also has more than 479 million Indian telecom users but is concerned that after spending $19 billion (about Rs. 1,60,324 crore) on airwaves auctions, he now risks losing broadband customers and possibly data — and lose voice customers to Musk as the technology advances, Reuters previously reported.
Reliance already has security clearance to launch satellite broadband services, a source with direct knowledge said.
Starlink has told the Indian government it is willing to meet all security requirements from New Delhi, another source familiar with the matter said.
After security clearance is obtained, companies must still obtain spectrum to provide satellite broadband services.
Ambani once gave free data on his mobile plans, and Musk has employed similarly aggressive tactics. In Kenya, Musk priced Starlink at $10 (approximately Rs. 843) per month, compared to $120 (approximately Rs. 10,125) in the United States, alarming local telecom players.
© Thomson Reuters 2024
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