The way is clear for the India launch of Starlink, which provides internet via satellite, the company has accepted the conditions of the government!
Starlink’s application for an Indian GMPCS (satellite broadband) license appears to be climbing another step of approval. A media report has said that Elon Musk’s satellite broadband provider company has “in principle” agreed to meet India’s data localization and security standards. According to these guidelines, satellite operators are required to store data locally and enable potential data access for intelligence agencies. These are the most important conditions for obtaining a license from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT).
A Moneycontrol report quoted sources as saying that Starlink has agreed to the key conditions of the DoT, due to which the way for its launch of satellite broadband connection service in India is reportedly now clear. The publication has been told that Elon Musk’s company has agreed to meet the government’s data localization and security standards, after which Starlink’s India license application is now ready to move a step forward.
The publication has been told that the main reason behind this is that Elon Musk may have a big influence on this year’s US elections. Let us tell you that Elon Musk campaigned vigorously for Donald Trump this year and openly supported him. However, Starlink has not yet issued any official statement on meeting the conditions.
As we mentioned, important guidelines of DoT say that a satellite communication company operating in India has to store all the data within the country. Apart from this, it is also mandatory to share the data with security agencies when needed.
The Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite Services (GMPCS) license is the first step towards setting up satellite internet by obtaining trial spectrum at a nominal application fee. The report suggests that Starlink may be required to show how intelligence agencies can intercept data if needed.
