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Granting approval to Elon Musk-led satellite internet provider Starlink is a complicated issue but it is in the final stages, Union Minister Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani said on Tuesday while allaying apprehensions of any threat to existing telecom service providers. While speaking with reporters on the sidelines of the Bharat Telecom event, the Minister of State for Telecom said that the government's security norms for satcom are important, especially in the present scenario where hostile nation Pakistan is making an attempt to hack the country's system. "It is a little complicated issue (permit for Starlink). We have to look from multiple angles. Security is one of them. Definitely, since it is in the final stages, we will get back on that," the minister said. He said that Starlink will have a minuscule role in connectivity compared to traditional telecom networks. "Starlink or the others, I wanted you to understand that in the entire world the number of subscribers Starlink has is l
Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Tuesday threw his weight behind having more players in satellite internet space, saying the service was needed particularly in the rural and underserved areas of the vast market that is India. The government has already granted licences to firms backed by billionaires Mukesh Ambani and Sunil Bharti Mittal to offer satellite internet services, and Scindia indicated more may be granted if players meet security and regulatory norms. The minister's statement is a positive one for Elon Musk's Starlink that has aspirations to operate in the world's most populous nation. Starlink, which had been vying for an India licence for sometime now, last month signed pacts with Ambani's Reliance Jio and Mittal's Bharti Airtel -- which together control more than 70 per cent of the country's telecom market -- to bring the US satellite internet giant's services to India. Citing the licences granted to Bharti Group-backed Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio Satellite ...
American tech billionaire Elon Musk on Friday said he is looking forward to his companies doing "exciting work" in India as he congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his historic election victory. Modi will be administered the oath of office on June 9, his third consecutive term as Prime Minister. Congratulations @narendramodi on your victory in the world's largest democratic elections! Looking forward to my companies doing exciting work in India, Musk said in a post on X. The congratulatory message came two months after the CEO of the electric carmaker Tesla and microblogging platform X in April postponed his proposed visit to India due to "very heavy Tesla obligations". Musk -- who was expected to be in India on April 21 and 22 and scheduled to meet Prime Minister Modi -- later wrote on X that he is looking forward to coming to India later this year. In June last year, Musk met with Modi during the latter's US visit and stated that he planned to visit India in 2024 while
US electric carmaker Tesla is 'silent' and yet to communicate its India plans to the government under the new EV policy, an official said on Friday. American tech billionaire Elon Musk, who was scheduled to visit India on April 21-22, had postponed his visit at the last moment citing "very heavy Tesla obligations". Musk, CEO of electric carmaker Tesla, was also slated to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the visit. "They (Tesla) are just silent.. the (EV) policy was always meant for everybody," the official said when asked whether the company has communicated its plans to the government. The commercial decisions are announced by the companies, the official added. An e-mail query sent to Tesla remained unanswered. Earlier in April, he confirmed his visit to India in a post on X saying, "Looking forward to meeting with Prime Minister @NarendraModi in India". In June last year, Musk met with Modi during the latter's US visit and stated that he planned to visit India in 2024