Starlink to hold demo runs in Mumbai to show compliance with Indian satcom norms

Elon Musk’s Starlink will hold demonstration runs in Mumbai on October 30–31 to prove compliance with India’s satcom norms. The trials before law enforcement agencies mark a key step toward its commercial rollout in India’s growing satellite broadband market.

New Delhi: Tesla CEO Elon Musk-led Starlink is scheduled to conduct demonstration runs in Mumbai on October 30 and 31 to demonstrate compliance with India’s security and technical requirements for satellite broadband services, according to people familiar with the developments.

The demos to be done before law enforcement agencies will be based on the provisional spectrum assigned to Starlink, which would mark a significant step ahead of its planned entry into the Indian satellite broadband market, they said.

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This step is necessary for the company to obtain clearances to commence commercial operations in the country.

Starlink will run a demo to show compliance with the security and technical conditions of Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite (GMPCS) authorisation.

Over 10 satellite operators, including the licensed Starlink, have entered India, with the private sector permitted to hold up to 100 per cent FDI.

Elon Musk’s Starlink is the world’s dominant satcom operator with a constellation of 7,578 satellites. India has currently provided necessary approvals to Starlink, Reliance Jio-SES JV, and Bharti Group backed-Eutelsat OneWeb to offer satcom services in the country.

The opening up of direct-to-cell communications service, which refers to a signal from a satellite directly to a mobile phone, has strengthened the growing satcom market in India.

Internet penetration remains limited in certain regions of the country, underscoring the need for satellite internet to complement existing networks. Satellite internet refers to the internet service provided through satellites placed in Geostationary Orbits (GSO) or Non-Geostationary Orbits (NGSO).

The government had informed in August that the data, traffic and other details accumulated by Elon Musk’s Starlink will be stored in India, and the domestic user traffic is not to be mirrored to any system/server located abroad.