Satellite internet may soon be operational in India. The Digital Communications Commission (DCC), the top decision-making body of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), has accepted most of TRAI’s recommendations regarding spectrum allocation for satellite communications services. This decision clears the way for major companies like Elon Musk’s Starlink, Bharti Group-backed Eutelsat OneWeb, and Reliance Jio to launch satellite internet services in the country. It’s worth noting that some key approvals and conditions remain pending before spectrum acquisition and final rollout.
In a meeting held on September 3, the DCC approved most of TRAI’s recommendations. Now, the DoT can submit a proposal to the Union Cabinet for final approval regarding spectrum pricing and how it will be allocated to companies.
Following this, companies lined up to provide satellite internet will also need to obtain a second round of security clearance from security agencies before launching their services.
TRAI recommended allocating satellite broadband spectrum for a period of 5 years, extendable by 2 years.
In addition, TRAI suggested setting a spectrum charge of 4% of operators’ annual revenue (AGR) and a minimum annual fee of ₹3,500 per MHz.
However, reports indicate that the Department of Telecommunications favors raising the fee to 5% instead of 4%. Starlink and Amazon’s Kuiper had requested a fee below 1%.
The DCC has approved TRAI’s recommendations, pending Cabinet approval and final clearance from security agencies.
In Starlink’s case, the global satellite network is fully ready. Rollout can begin immediately upon spectrum allocation and security clearance.
Jio, meanwhile, will begin test flights in September 2027, with full commercial service expected by early 2028.
Reports suggest that initial rollouts with Starlink and OneWeb are possible by mid-2027, but large-scale rollouts with Jio will only happen by 2028.
Initial Limits: Due to limited bandwidth, cities like Delhi will initially only have 10,000–20,000 connections per satellite constellation.