The government has exciting news for millions of mobile users in India as it plans to introduce satellite internet services in the new year. Major companies like Jio, Airtel, Vodafone-Idea, as well as Elon Musk's Starlink and Amazon Kuiper, are competing to offer this service. The Department of Telecommunications is expected to make a decision soon about how to allocate the necessary frequency spectrum for satellite internet.
Recently, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) held discussions with various stakeholders, including telecom providers, to sort out the details. Reports suggest that even though Jio and Airtel want the spectrum to be allocated through a bidding process, the government may choose to do it in a more straightforward way.
By December 15, TRAI is expected to provide its recommendations to the Department of Telecommunications regarding how to proceed with the allocation. Once these recommendations are made, the Cabinet is expected to approve them by the end of December. Following this approval, the spectrum will be distributed.
In this race, Starlink is ready to launch its services in India. They applied to start offering satellite internet back in October 2022 but are still waiting for official approval.
Meanwhile, Airtel and Jio have already received their necessary permissions to move forward with their satellite services. However, Starlink and Amazon Kuiper may need to fulfill additional requirements before they can launch. Starlink has confirmed it is working to meet these conditions.
In other news, BSNL has launched India’s first internet TV service, known as IFTV, which offers fiber-based connectivity. Initially deployed in Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, the service has now also been introduced in Punjab. This announcement was made via the company’s official social media channels. BSNL is collaborating with Skypro, a company that specializes in internet TV services, to provide a combined TV and internet experience for customers across India.
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