The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has reportedly asked Elon Musk’s Starlink and Jeff Bezos’ Amazon to submit compliances on certain security parameters as part of their applications to provide satellite communications services in India.

The Department has recently sent letters to both US firms and is awaiting their response, Economic times reported citing officials with knowledge of the details.

“We can proceed with their requests only after they comply with the requirements. So far, we have not received their answers,” said one of the officials, quoted by E.T.

Another official said the government is willing to give them more time to respond and may even send a reminder.

However, processing of applications will be suspended until they agree to all security conditions.

“There are various compliances related to security, as well as those related to data, coverage area, etc. which satellite providers have to provide to the government to provide services in India. All the boxes have to be ticked,” said a third official.

Meanwhile, companies such as Bharti-backed Eutelsat Oneweb and a joint venture between Reliance Jio and Luxembourg-based satellite provider SES have already received approvals to provide satellite communications services in India.

Starlink applied for a Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite Services (GMPCS) license in October 2022, followed by Amazon, which applied last year.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is currently engaged in a process of providing recommendations on pricing and other terms and conditions for allocation of satellite spectrum.

While the Telecommunications Act 2023 requires satellite spectrum to be granted administratively, telecom firms including Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea want a level playing field between satellite and terrestrial players.

The telcos argue that in the future satellite telcos will be able to offer similar services as them, so they should face the same obligations and liabilities as the carriers.

Earlier in the year, the DoT sought additional information from Starlink about its data storage practices and shareholder structures, including any involvement with US security agencies.

The company has also been asked to adhere to India’s geographical coverage map and provide all details including latitude and longitude of its terminals to be set up near border areas.

According to security requirements, terminals must stop communicating if there is a change in latitude and longitude position to prevent any misuse.

In response to government questions, Starlink said it has no investors from countries that share a land border with India, primarily China and Pakistan. The government had accepted this statement.

However, Starlink has not disclosed full details of its parent company SpaceX’s shareholding, as US privacy laws prohibit unlisted companies from fully disclosing such information.

According to officials quoted in the ET report, while Starlink has agreed to many of the terms required for a GMPCS license, some issues still need to be ironed out.

Earlier, it was reported that Starlink had assured the government that it would provide free satellite communications services to certain rural and remote areas as part of initiatives such as the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF).

“Global constellations provide services across the globe and it becomes much more important for the government and security agencies to protect the country from foreign interference,” the top official said.

Amazon has also been asked to meet these compliance requirements.

There are about 30-40 compliances that satellite communications firms must provide to the government.

In addition, both companies have submitted applications to the Indian National Space Authorization and Promotion Center (IN-SPACe) along with their GMPCS applications to obtain the necessary authorizations to initiate satellite communications services in India.

Starlink currently operates more than 6,000 Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites.

Meanwhile, Amazon’s Project Kuiper aims to establish an initial satellite constellation of 3,236 LEO satellites, with deployment beginning in early 2025 and the launch of commercial services later that year.

Read also: India-China LAC withdrawal almost complete, Rajnath Singh eyes wider peace process ‘beyond disengagement’