Elon Musk's Starlink is on the verge of obtaining a key green signal to launch its satellite services in India with the government having approved its application for a Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite (GMPCS) licence, The Times of India reported on June 4. This development comes just weeks after the government issued a letter of intent (LoI) to the company, the report (by Pankaj Doval) said.Starlink has been awaiting this licence for approximately three to four years and is finally set to proceed after it accepted the new conditions established by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and after fulfilling the necessary fee requirements.Representatives from Starlink are anticipated to arrive in the national capital in the coming days to finalise the paperwork for the GMPCS licence, ToI's report said citing sources.The company has aligned itself with the new licensing conditions and various guidelines that are essential for commencing operations within the country, it said. The granting of this licence will eliminate one of the most significant obstacles for the company, particularly since it also necessitates security approvals from the Ministry of Home Affairs.The government conducted a comprehensive review of Musk's satellite venture and imposed stringent security measures. These include the establishment of interception capabilities and the requirement for a command and control center to be located within India.Following the approval of the GMPCS licence, Starlink will also need to secure permission from IN-SPACe (Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Center), which will authorise the operation of its satellites in Indian airspace.The application process with IN-SPACe is nearing completion and is expected to receive approval from the inter-ministerial standing committee very soon, the report said citing sources.The Department of Telecommunications issued a Letter of Intent to Starlink on May 7, which set the stage for the subsequent issuance of the GMPCS licence. Additionally, the government has begun the process of establishing regulations for spectrum allocation to satellite communication companies, which includes not only Starlink but also joint ventures and investments from Reliance Jio and Airtel.On May 9, the telecom regulator Trai provided its recommendations to the DoT regarding the allocation of spectrum and the associated charges that companies will incur for utilising the airwaves.
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