India Welcomes All Satcom Players; Starlink Last to Apply and Submit Compliance, Say Govt Sources

India is open to all players in the satellite communications sector, with the government saying that the choice of service provider will ultimately rest with consumers. Government sources on Friday said Jio, OneWeb and Starlink have all received satcom licences, while clarifying that Starlink was the last of the three to apply and obtain its licence.

“Customer is the king,” an official said, adding that consumers would choose a provider based on price, value and the quality of services offered.

STARLINK LAST TO COMPLETE LICENSING PROCESS

According to government sources, three companies currently hold satellite communications licences in India: Jio, OneWeb and Starlink.

Sources said Starlink was the last among the three to submit its application and receive a licence. They maintained that the process had been “completely transparent” and that all applicants had been required to meet the same regulatory requirements.

The companies have also been asked to demonstrate their operational capabilities and comply with security requirements before launching services.

ONEWEB FIRST TO SUBMIT COMPLIANCE DOCUMENTS

Sources said OneWeb was the first to submit its compliance documents, followed by Jio, while Starlink was the last to complete the submission.

Officials said two key steps remain before satellite communication services can be rolled out at scale: a decision on spectrum allocation and pricing, and the fulfilment of security requirements by all three licensees.

The government has indicated that once these conditions are met, the sector can move towards wider service deployment.

With inputs from ANI