Amazon seeks regulator's nod for satcom services in India
Amazon has sought approval from the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe) to offer broadband-from-space services in the country.
This would make the US e-commerce firm the latest entrant in India's nascent but fast-growing satellite communications (satcom) market. Amazon would be pitted against the likes of Elon Musk-owned Starlink, Bharti-backed Oneweb and Reliance Industries' Jio Satellite in India which has issued a new space policy earlier this year aimed at spurring private investments in the sector.
The Jeff Bezos-led company is also expected to apply to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) for a global mobile personal communication by satellite services (GMPCS) licence.
A query to Amazon regarding its application remained unanswered at the time of going to press.
While Oneweb and Jio Satellite have secured a GMPCS license, Starlink's application is expected to be taken up this week by an inter-ministerial panel.
India's Space Policy 2023 allowed private low-earth orbit (LEO) and medium-earth orbit (MEO) satellite constellation operators to launch fast broadband from space services in the country.
The new policy permits foreign entities to set up infrastructure and offer satellite services.
These companies, however, need to seek approval from IN-SPACe. The space policy has empowered IN-SPACe-an autonomous central regulatory body-to act as the sole single-window agency to authorise the gamut of space activities by government and private firms.
Amazon has been in talks with the Indian government on the satcom sector.
