Starlink’s entry to Indian market has cleared another hurdle; in a major development, Elon Musk’s Starlink India licence application is expected to move forward after it agreed to government’s data localization and security arrangements, reported Moneycontrol. The government had put forward eligibility criteria for getting the satellite broadband services.

Starlink has agreed in-principle to meet the condition at a recent meeting and needs to officially submit it to the department of telecommunications (DoT), sources added. This step is said to be crucial towards securing a satellite broadband services license or GMPCS license. In recent meetings with the department of telecommunication (DoT), Starlink “in principle” committed to complying with these guidelines.

Why Is GMPCS licence Important?

Notably, the Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite Services (GMPCS) licence is the first step towards setting up a satellite internet by acquiring a trial spectrum at a nominal application fee. A satellite communications company operating in India must store all data within the country, according to security guidelines. This is a prerequisite for the grant of licence by department of telecommunications (DoT).

Starlink had applied for the Global Mobile Personal Communications by Satellite (GMPCS) licence to DoT in October 2022. The company had submitted application for authorisation with space regulator Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe).

IN-SPACe chairman Pawan Kumar Goenka, in an interview to Moneycontrol said that they have asked for details from and Starlink and Amazon Kuiper. “…that’s what we are working on and are in the pipeline. We have raised some queries, and they are being answered,” added Goenka.

Satellite broadband services in India will start once the government establishes pricing and spectrum allocation rules. It will be done after Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) releases its recommendations.