Big companies like Amazon.com and Elon Musk's Starlink have also been trying to get government approval to provide satellite services to India for a long time.
There is good news for Jio users. Because Reliance Jio is all set to launch satellite services in India. According to recent reports, the Indian regulatory authority has granted approval to Jio Platforms, a subsidiary of Reliance Industries, to launch satellite internet services. Incidentally, big companies like Amazon.com and Elon Musk's Starlink have also been trying to get government approval to provide satellite services to India for a long time. However, Jio has taken a step forward in this competition by getting the government approval.
Permission will also be taken from the telecom company
Orbit Connect India was secretly granted approval by the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Center in April and June, according to Reuters. And, it is now able to provide satellite services in India. However, the company has to get separate approval from the country's telecom department before officially starting satellite operations in India. Note that this Orbit Connect India is a joint venture of Jio and SES, whose objective is to provide high speed internet across the country.
In this context, Bharti Enterprises of Eutelsat supported by OneWeb also got approval last year. And, according to Pawan Goenka, chairman of IN-SPACE, apart from Eutelsat, another company named Inmarsat has also been approved to provide high speed satellite based internet services in India. However, Elon Musk's Star Link and Amazon.com's Kuiper are awaiting approval.
Last year the government presented a draft bill for the Department of Telecommunications. It also proposed a licensing mechanism for satellite internet services and allotment of spectrum to companies without any auction. While Indian telecom operators Jio and Vodafone Idea supported the proposal, Airtel expressed concern that domestic companies would suffer significantly as a result. Also, companies that have a global presence will benefit greatly. And, then companies can dominate the market.