((Automated translation by Reuters, please see disclaimer https://bit.ly/rtrsauto)) by Nivedita Bhattacharjee
A joint venture between Reliance Industries’ Jio Platforms RELI.NS and Luxembourg-based SES SESFg.LU to provide gigabit fiber optic internet access has won approval from India’s space regulator to operate satellites in this country, declared a government official.
The three approvals issued to Orbit Connect India – which aims to provide high-speed satellite internet access – come as companies ranging from Amazon.com AMZN.O to Elon Musk’s Starlink vie for the green light to launch satellite communications services in the world’s most populous country.
The permissions have not been previously reported. They were granted in April and June by India’s National Space Promotion and Licensing Center, known as IN-SPACe. They allow Orbit Connect to operate satellites over India, but further approvals are needed from the country’s telecommunications department to begin operations.
Reliance, which owns Jio, did not respond to an email seeking more details.
Inmarsat, another company that hopes to provide high-speed satellite internet, has also won permission to operate satellites over India, Pawan Goenka, chairman of IN-SPACe, told Reuters . Two other companies, Elon Musk’s Starlink and Amazon.com’s ( AMZN.O ) Kuiper, applied.
OneWeb, backed by Bharti Enterprises and Eutelsat ETL.PA, received all approvals late last year.
India’s satellite broadband services market is expected to grow 36% annually over the next five years and reach $1.9 billion by 2030, according to consulting firm Deloitte.
Globally, the race to connect rural areas using spatial internet is accelerating. Amazon plans to invest $10 billion in Kuiper, which was announced in 2019, the year SpaceX began deploying its first operational Starlink satellites.
Last week, Sri Lanka gave Starlink preliminary approval to provide internet services in the country.
Mr Goenka said the more companies involved in the sector in India, the better off consumers would be.
“The comparatively low prices of communications services in India will force global players to innovate to reduce their prices,” said Mr. Goenka, former chief executive of automaker Mahindra & Mahindra MAHM.NS .
“This is already the case in many sectors such as automotive, where multinational OEMs have had to innovate to meet Indian consumers’ expectations for high performance and low costs
IN-SPACe will soon allow private companies to operate ground stations, allowing satellite operators to download data as they pass over India.
Prime Minister Modi’s government, which just won a rare third term, has encouraged the development of India’s space industry.
This year, it opened the doors to foreign direct investment in the sector, saying outside companies could invest in the manufacturing of components and systems or subsystems for satellites up to 100% without approval.
As a result, investor interest has “increased significantly,” Mr. Goenka said.
“Last year, investments in private companies were between $2 million and $7 million. This year we are talking about $20 million to $30 million,” he said. “The proof of concept has been made