The satellite communication space has become more competitive as two more entities have applied for the license to set up gateways. According to an RTI seen by businessline, real estate major Hiranandani Group and Bengaluru-based startup Veeno Communications have applied for GMPCS authorisation. 

With this, six entities have applied for GMPCS authorisation. This includes Sunil Mittal-backed OneWeb, Jio Satellite Communications Limited, Starlink and the Telesat-Nelco partnership.

Unified license

According to the RTI, OneWeb India Communications and Jio Satellite Communications have been granted the GMPCS authorisation under the Unified license. 

OneWeb, Jio, Starlink and Telesat-Nelco have expressed interest in offering high throughput and low latency internet broadband services using their constellation of low earth orbit satellites, especially in remote and far-flung areas where traditional telecom networks cannot reach. With the onset of 5G, Mittal has also argued that telcos can utilise OneWeb to provide satellite backhaul services to run 5G networks. 

However, Hiranandani (Yotta) and Veeno are yet to disclose their reasons for applying for the GMPCS license. When businessline reached out to representatives from both companies they declined to comment. 

While the satellite space has been abuzz for a few years, with entities such as OneWeb committing to deploy satellite services by 2023- companies still await the new Spacecom policy, which has been in the works for quite some time. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India is also working on the consultation process to determine how the government will divvy satellite spectrum among enterprises. 

Related Topics