E-commerce giant Amazon is yet to finalise its application for securing a licence to start satellite internet services in India, government sources have told Moneycontrol.
"Amazon hasn’t completed its application process. They are still in the process of filing the application from their end," a senior official told Moneycontrol on the condition of anonymity. "Once they finalise it, we will proceed with the review."
A global mobile personal communication by satellite services (GMPCS) licence is the first step towards setting up a satellite internet and acquiring a trial spectrum through the administrative route at a nominal application fee.
Amazon has stepped up efforts to catch up with rivals such as Elon Musk’s Starlink to set up a satellite broadband network and has allocated over $10 billion to launch Project Kuiper.
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) had previously sought details from Amazon regarding critical issues such as the setting up of satellite gateways, data storage, and transfer for assessment purposes. The company is yet to provide the details.
The US-based company has already applied to the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe) for regulatory approval.
Amazon India declined to comment on the matter, while queries sent to IN-SPACe remained unanswered at the time of publishing of this report.
Amazon would collaborate with the Indian government and local partners to introduce "affordable broadband" services in the country, the company said earlier.
Sources said DoT is conducting due diligence on Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet unit. Starlink would also require approvals from the home ministry, law enforcement agencies, and the country's security agencies due to governmental security concerns.
"It will take sometime before these issues are addressed and the government can proceed further," the official said.
With a GMPCS license, Starlink could potentially pilot its services in the retail consumer space.
Inter-ministerial discussions regarding security concerns are ongoing within the government.
Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio Satellite Communications have already obtained GMPCS licences.
Eutelsat OneWeb is the only company to have secured IN-SPACe’s approval and has also received a trial satellite spectrum in both the 'Ka' and 'Ku' bands for 90 days.
Any entity aiming to offer satcom services in India must obtain approvals from IN-SPACe, a GMPCS licence and spectrum from DoT.
Eutelsat OneWeb, Starlink, Jio Satellite Communications, and Amazon are all competing for a share of the growing Indian market, which holds significant growth potential.
Amazon trails rivals Starlink, OneWeb, and Jio in terms of service offerings due to its incomplete constellation. As part of Project Kuiper it plans to deploy 3,232 satellites into low Earth orbit by 2029, half of which are scheduled for deployment by mid-2026.
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