In collaboration with Reliance Industries (RELI.NS), a new tab according to a government official, the Indian space commission has given Jio Platforms and Luxembourg-based SES (SESFg.LU) permission to operate satellites there. This opens a new tab for gigabit fiber internet service.
The three approvals for Orbit Connect India, opens new tab, which seeks to offer satellite-based high-speed internet access, come at a time when businesses, including Elon Musk’s Starlink and Amazon.com (AMZN.O), are fighting for permission to introduce satellite communication services in the most populous country in the world. The authorizations have never before been made public. The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre, or IN-SPACe, awarded them in April and June. These permit Orbit Connect to run satellites above India, but before it can start operations, other permissions from the nation’s telecoms department are required. An email requesting more information was not answered by Reliance, the company that owns Jio.
According to IN-SPACe chairman Pawan Goenka, INmarsat, a different business that aims to offer high-speed satellite-based internet, has also received permission to operate satellites over India. Two other businesses have applied: Kuiper, a new tab opened by Amazon.com (AMZN.O) and Starlink, owned by Elon Musk.
ETL.PA, Eutelsat, launches a new tab Late last year, OneWeb, supported by Bharti Enterprises, received all of its approvals.
The Deloitte consulting firm projects that India’s market for satellite broadband services will expand at a rate of 36% annually over the next five years, reaching a value of $1.9 billion by 2030.
The competition to deploy space-based internet to link remote regions of the planet is picking up speed globally. Amazon said in 2019 that it would invest $10 billion in Kuiper, the company that SpaceX started using to launch its first Starlink satellites into orbit.
Sri Lanka granted Starlink initial permission to offer internet services there last week.
According to Goenka, consumers will benefit more from the increased number of Indian enterprises operating in this industry.