NEW DELHI: India welcomes all players in the satellite communications sector, with consumers ultimately deciding which service they want to choose, govt sources told news agency ANI.“Customer is the king,” an official told ANI, adding that consumers would make their choice based on pricing, value and quality of services.Currently, three companies hold satcom licences in India: Jio, OneWeb and Starlink. Sources told ANI that tech giant Elon Musk‘s Starlink was the “last to apply for and receive its licence”, but all three companies have been granted licences through a “completely transparent” process.Officials said all three licensees have been asked to demonstrate their capabilities and meet the prescribed security requirements. OneWeb was the first to submit its compliance documents, followed by Jio, while Starlink was the last, as ANI quoted sources.Two key steps remain before services can be rolled out at scale: A decision on spectrum allocation and pricing, and fulfilment of security requirements by all three companies. Once these conditions are met, the satcom ecosystem can benefit as a whole, officials said.
