India’s Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has thrown a spanner in the launch plans for Starlink in the country. A cynic might suggest that India doesn’t really want Starlink in its neighbourhood.

Specifically, the DoT is requesting more information. The telecom department’s highest decision-making body has sought clarification from the Telecom Regulatory Authority (TRAI) on certain aspects of its satellite spectrum recommendations. Sources suggest that the about-turn could be focussed on the fees proposed for urban customers and the annual minimum spectrum charges.

This development is significant for prominent companies like Elon Musk’s Starlink, Bharti-backed Eutelsat OneWeb, and Reliance Jio-SES, which are all vying for a share of the broadband market beamed from the Indian skies.

Then there’s the Digital Communications Commission (DCC) which met on Tuesday to discuss the recommendations of TRAI on satcom spectrum. Again, local reports say that the DCC wants “clarification” on certain aspects of TRAI’s recommendations.

One aspect seems to be how the operators would demarcate between ‘urban’ and ‘rural’ fees, which in Starlink’s case will be different.

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Tags: india, starlink