India Asks Elon Musk's Starlink And Jeff Bezos' Amazon For Security Assurances As They Look To Enter Bids For SATCOM Services: Report

This story was first published on the Benzinga India portal.

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) directed Elon Musk's Starlink and Jeff Bezos' Amazon to provide details on security compliance as they look to offer satellite communication services in the Indian market.

What Happened: The DoT has asked both Starlink and Amazon to submit security-related compliances with their applications for offering satellite communications services in the country, according to an Economic Times report. The specifics of the requested compliances have not been disclosed.

The directive comes amid rising concerns about the security of satellite internet services. Both Starlink, a subsidiary of Musk's SpaceX, and Amazon, with its Project Kuiper, are significant players in this sector.

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The report, citing officials aware of the matter, said letters were recently sent to both US-based firms, and the department is currently awaiting their responses. The government will wait a bit longer for their replies and may send a reminder, but the applications will not be processed until they comply with all the security conditions, the report added.

So far, Bharti Airtel-backed Eutelsat OneWeb and Reliance Jio’s joint venture with Luxembourg-based satellite provider SES have received approval to provide satcom services in India.

This directive from the DoT comes in the backdrop of Starlink and Amazon's recent efforts to establish their satellite communication services in India. Both companies had reportedly also approached the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) seeking a decrease in spectrum charges to 1% of annual revenues. 

The international firms reportedly see reduced spectrum charges as a pathway for cost-effective satellite services to Indian consumers and businesses, especially those in underserved areas.

The firms' request followed the Indian government’s decision not to auction the spectrum for satellite services, a move that both Starlink and Amazon welcomed.

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Disclaimer: Artificial intelligence was used as a secondary aid in the writing of this story.