Overview

• The government has awarded Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite licences to three low-Earth-orbit constellations, with Elon Musk’s Starlink joining Eutelsat’s OneWeb and Reliance Jio.
• India will allocate satellite spectrum through administrative assignment rather than auctions, ending months of regulatory uncertainty for satcom operators.
• Telecom operators and satellite firms have clashed over the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s proposal to impose a 4% adjusted gross revenue levy on satellite spectrum.
• ISRO’s Small Satellite Launch Vehicle technology is being transferred to commercial players after Hindustan Aeronautics Limited won the first bid, with handover set over the next two years.
• Startups and private companies are expected to submit final bids in coming weeks for the Rs1,500 crore earth observation constellation project and accompanying satellite-bus-as-a-service initiative.