Apple’s satcom services partner Globalstar plans India foray

iphone satcom

Apple’s satcom services partner Globalstar is the latest US satellite company looking to foray into India’s nascent market and is keen to establish a wholly-owned subsidiary in India.

Globalstar Inc. provides emergency SOS services on Apple's iPhones. In 2023, Apple introduced satellite-based SOS services, powered by Globalstar's LEO satellite network, to its iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 15, and iPhone 15 Pro. This allows users to access emergency SOS services via satellite in exceptional circumstances where they are off-grid without mobile or Wi-Fi coverage.

The low earth orbit (LEO) global satellite systems operator, in its submission to the telecom regulator dated July 31 said that besides its proposal to apply for a GMPCS (global mobile personal communications by satellite services) authorisation, it plans to establish a land earth station gateway in India.

“India represents the single-largest market that Globalstar has been previously unable to enter…we expect that no new or onerous requirements will be imposed upon a GMPCS authorised entity, as a result of introducing a new satellite earth station gateway licence, as mentioned above,” the company said in its submission.

Earlier this year, Globalstar approached the Department of Telecommunications for clearance to launch its services in India. The company’s proposals aim to provide satcom services to Apple’s handsets in India in the near future.

With this, Globalstar has joined the likes of Elon Musk’s Starlink and Amazon-backed Project Kuiper to explore a foray into the Indian satcom market.

Before launching commercial broadband services from space in India, satcom service requires a GMPCS permit from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and necessary regulatory approvals from the national space sector regulator, the Indian National Space Promotion & Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe).

Currently, Bharti Group-backed Eutelsat OneWeb and Orbit Connect India – a 51:49 joint venture between Mukesh Ambani’s Jio Platforms (JPL) and Luxembourg-brd satcom firm SES – have the GMPCS permits and IN-SPACe authorisations.

Starlink and Kuiper are yet to get the GMPCS permits and landing rights approvals from IN-SPACe, Dr Pawan Goenka, chairman of the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Center (IN-SPACe), told Moneycontrol in an interaction on June 28

In its submission to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai), Globalstar further stated that as its satellite communications business expands, it has launched a comprehensive global strategy to establish a direct presence and ensure regulatory compliance in numerous countries worldwide.

It also highlighted its LEO satellite system provides near-global coverage, including in India.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) floated a consultation paper on "Assignment of Spectrum for Space-based Communication Services" on April 6, 2023, but returned the reference to DoT after the announcement of the new Telecommunication Act.

Within a month, the regulator will start the consultation process to determine the terms, conditions, and other modalities for the administrative allocation of spectrum for satellite-based telecom services, Trai Chairman Anil Kumar Lahoti announced on August 9. He added that the regulator will soon release a consultation paper on the matter.