Thread by @BiIndia

India’s richest billionaires are fast catching up while #ElonMusk struggles for satellite broadband licence

#MukeshAmbani #RelianceJio

businessinsider.in/business/telec…

By @jainrounak

@jainrounak Elon Musk’s #Starlink has also been trying to enter the Indian market but was asked to refund the pre-orders that it had accepted as the company has not secured a license to operate in the second largest telecom market in the world.

#ElonMusk

@jainrounak In the meantime, India’s biggest billionaires like Mukesh Ambani and Sunil Mittal have found their respective partners to launch their own satellite broadband services.

#ElonMusk #Starlink

@jainrounak Reliance Jio, owned by Ambani, has formed a joint venture (JV) with SES, a satellite-based content and connectivity solutions provider from Luxembourg.

#ElonMusk #Starlink

@jainrounak Nelco, an arm of the multi-billion dollar Tata Group, is also reportedly in talks with Canadian firm Telesat’s Lightspeed brand to offer satellite broadband services in the country by 2024.

#ElonMusk #Starlink

@jainrounak Another player that is looking to enter the satellite-based broadband services market in India is Amazon as part of Project Kruiper satellite constellation.

#ElonMusk #Starlink

@jainrounak Satellite broadband uses satellites orbiting the earth to provide internet services to people using a dish. Unlike traditional broadband services, satellite broadband does not require users to get a wired connection from the operators.

#ElonMusk #Starlink

@jainrounak Satellite broadband services are already available in countries like the US and UK. #ElonMusk’s #Starlink is currently testing its services in 25 countries, including the US, UK, Canada and France among others.

@jainrounak In November 2021, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) had issued a consultation paper on establishing a licensing framework for satellite gateways which are required to offer broadband services using satellites.

#ElonMusk #Starlink

@jainrounak In addition to #Starlink, the UK also has other players such as OneWeb, which is partially owned by Airtel.

#ElonMusk

@jainrounak Jio Satellite Communications, Jio’s satellite unit had applied for a global mobile personal communication by satellite services (GMPCS) license to offer satellite-based broadband services in India earlier this month.

#ElonMusk #Starlink