central Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Tuesday that Elon Musk’s Starlink company has not yet met security standards. He said Starlink will be granted a license for satellite communications services only if the company meets all the requirements for services in India. The minister said satellite internet service providers are in the process of meeting all the requirements. Once the process is completed they will obtain the license.
Starlink will have to follow all the rules
Scindia said: “Starlink will have to follow all the rules to get the license. You also have to look at it from a security perspective. They are in the process of doing it. They will obtain the license once all the requirements are met.” Currently, the government has issued the license to Jio Satellite Communications, a joint venture of OneWeb and Jio-SES backed by Bharti Group.
Government to review TRAI recommendations
Both companies have not yet started operations as they are waiting for spectrum allocation. According to sources, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) may finalize its recommendation on the proposed rules related to spectrum allocation for satellite communications by December 15. The government will review TRAI’s recommendations and then decide on allocation of spectrum to satellite communications companies. After this, the way will be paved for satellite broadband services in the country.
What did the minister say about the renunciation of Vodafone Idea’s bank guarantee?
When asked about Vodafone Idea’s request to waive the Rs 24,700 crore bank guarantee, Scindia said the government will not take any decision keeping any particular company in mind, but will have to consider the impact of its decision on the entire sector. The government has around 23 per cent stake in Vodafone Idea. The minister stated that the telecommunications sector has received a tremendous boost in the last two and a half years.
With PTI inputs
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