India is keeping its satellite communications market open to all licensed operators, with the government maintaining that consumers should have the freedom
to choose the service that best meets their needs. Government sources have indicated in a PTI report that the country welcomes every player in the sector, stressing that competition will ultimately be shaped by customer preferences rather than the presence of any particular company. The government's position comes as three companies — Reliance Jio, Eutelsat OneWeb and SpaceX's Starlink — hold satellite communications licences in India. While the companies have completed different stages of the licensing and compliance process, officials have reiterated that all three are eligible to participate, subject to meeting the remaining regulatory conditions. "Customer is the king," an official said in the report, underlining that subscribers will make their choices based on affordability, value for money and service quality. The government's approach signals an emphasis on competition in the emerging satcom industry, where providers are expected to compete for customers through their respective offerings. India currently has three licensed players in the satellite communications segment: Jio, OneWeb and Starlink. According to the report, Starlink was the final company among the three to submit its licence application and subsequently receive approval. However, officials have maintained that the licensing exercise followed an open and transparent procedure, with no preferential treatment for any applicant. Sources described in the report described the entire exercise as "completely transparent", indicating that all companies were assessed through the established regulatory framework. The government has also stressed that obtaining a licence is not the only requirement for entering the market. Each operator must demonstrate its technical capabilities and satisfy the security-related conditions laid down by the authorities before services can be rolled out. As part of the regulatory process, the three operators have been required to furnish documents demonstrating their compliance with the prescribed security standards. Government sources said in the report that OneWeb was the first to submit its compliance-related paperwork. Jio followed, while Starlink completed the submission process after the other two companies. The sequence of submissions reflects the different timelines followed by the companies in meeting the regulatory requirements. Officials, however, have indicated that all three operators remain part of the process, as per the report. Security compliance is a key consideration for satellite communications services, given the importance of ensuring that operators meet the conditions governing their operations in India. Spectrum Allocation And Pricing Still Awaited Despite the completion of the licensing process and submission of compliance documents, commercial expansion of satellite communications services is dependent on two important outstanding decisions. The first concerns the allocation of satellite spectrum and the pricing framework that will determine how operators access the required frequencies. The second involves the completion of security-related requirements by all three licensed companies. These issues need to be resolved before satellite broadband services can be introduced on a wider scale. (With PTI Inputs)
