According to reports, SpaceX, the parent company of Starlink, applied for a license with the Department of Telecommunications in order to offer satellite-based broadband to India (DoT). The Elon Musk-owned company submitted an application for the Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite (GMPCS) license last week, according to a report by ET citing DoT officials.
By the way, Starlink is the third company to apply for a GMPCS license. Both OneWeb, supported by Airtel, and Jio Space Technology, a satellite division of Jio, have submitted applications for the same.
However, before it can start operations in India, Starlink needs a variety of licenses and permissions, including a GMPCS license. Starlink must first obtain spectrum and authorization from the Department of Space in order to deploy satellite broadband.
The business must obtain permission from the Indian National Space Promotion & Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) in order to create ground-based satellite gateways because India also requires them.
The space internet business in India is becoming more competitive as Starlink gets ready to launch there. Airtel, Reliance, Amazon, and other companies are reportedly pursuing a market that may be worth $13 billion by 2025, according to an EY-ISpA estimate.
Starlink is the biggest space broadband network in the world, with 3,451 satellites launched and a little over 2,700 in operation. The company plans to deploy up to 12,000 satellites in the future to provide global coverage. OneWeb, which is supported by Airtel, has the most advanced satellite network in terms of coverage and deployment %, albeit a launch attempt from India has been delayed because of regional legal constraints.
Jio was able to overtake the opposition as a result. The Akash Ambani-led telco worked with SES, a major global satellite broadband provider, to build satellite internet capabilities.
In March of last year, Starlink started taking bookings for its planned services in India. Before that, the business had asked the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) for approval to use satellites to deliver broadband services in India.
However, the Department of Transportation stepped in and mandated that Starlink reimburse Indian consumers for the $99 pre-booking cost (or INR 7,500 based on exchange values from the prior year). Starlink discontinued pre-bookings on December 1, 2021, and issued refunds to all customers.
Recent news stories have focused on the use of Starlink in the war-torn Ukraine, where the defenders are utilizing vital connectivity to ward off the invaders. After Musk claimed that SpaceX needed help from the US government to sustain Starlink operations, the company recently gained attention. Only 10,630 of Ukraine’s 25,300 terminals, according to Musk, are currently making payments for the service.
About SpaceX
American corporation Space Exploration Technologies Corp., also known as SpaceX, is based in Hawthorne, California, and builds satellites, launches satellites into space, and creates spacecraft.
In order to make the colonization of Mars practical, Elon Musk founded it in 2002 with the goal of lowering space travel costs. The firm manufactures a variety of rocket engines, as well as the crew spacecraft, Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launch vehicles, and Cargo Dragon.
SpaceX is developing the Starlink satellite internet constellation in order to provide for-pay internet connectivity. With over 3,000 small satellites in orbit when the Starlink constellation was finished in September 2022, it was the biggest satellite constellation ever launched. Another project being worked on by the company is Starship, a totally reusable, extremely heavy-lift launch vehicle for interplanetary and orbital travel that is being privately funded.
After going into service, it will take the place of SpaceX’s current fleet of Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy, and Dragon as the company’s primary orbital vehicle. It will have the largest cargo capacity of any orbital rocket ever built when it debuts in 2022, which is speculatively anticipated for 2022.
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