Elon Musk's Starlink has received a license to launch satellite internet services in India, and a framework for spectrum allocation is now in place for a seamless rollout, announced Union Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Thursday. This announcement coincides with the 30th anniversary of the first cellular call made in India back in 1995.
"Starlink has been granted a Unified License to launch satellite internet services in India. Frameworks for spectrum allocation and gateway establishment are ready, ensuring a smooth rollout," Scindia stated.
Alongside Starlink, Bharti Group-backed Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio SES are also awaiting spectrum allocation to begin their satcom services.
India's digital transformation: A decade of growth
The Minister highlighted India's extraordinary digital transformation over the last 11 years under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership. "From remote villages to bustling cities, digital access has empowered citizens, bridged divides, and made India a global leader in affordable, inclusive technology," he remarked.
He shared impressive statistics: telephone connections in the country now stand at 1.2 billion, and internet subscriptions have surged by nearly 286 per cent to reach 970 million. Broadband usage has seen explosive growth of over 1,450 per cent, rising from 60 million in 2014 to 944 million today. Most notably, the cost of mobile data has plummeted by 96.6 per cent, positioning India as the global leader in affordable data at just Rs 8.9 per GB.
BSNL's revival and 5G expansion
Scindia also noted the significant breakthrough in BSNL's revival. "For the first time in 18 years, BSNL reported back-to-back net profits of Rs 262 crore and Rs 280 crore in FY 2024-25," he said. He added that over 83,000 4G sites have been installed, with 74,000 already operational, all built using indigenously developed technology. "Crack Teams, AI-powered monitoring, and fiber fault resolution within 12 hours have raised service standards across the board," the Minister asserted.
India's rapid 5G rollout has covered 99.6 per cent of districts, with 4.74 lakh 5G towers and 300 million users. "With the world’s highest per capita 5G usage (32 GB per month) and 100 Use Case Labs in place, India is also among the top six countries in 6G patent filings," Scindia highlighted. Investments under the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme have reached Rs 4,305 crore, leading to Rs 85,391 crore in sales and creating over 28,000 jobs. Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) has nearly tripled from USD 282 million to USD 710 million.
Telecom sector's phenomenal transformation
Commenting on the 30th anniversary of the first cellular call in India, SP Kochhar, Director General of the telecom industry body COAI, stated that India's telecom sector has witnessed a phenomenal transformation since 1995. "Today, India stands as the world’s second-largest telecom market, boasting over 1.2 billion subscribers and some of the most affordable tariff rates globally," Kochhar said. He further noted that an Indian subscriber now uses over 21 GB of data each month on average, a testament to the world-class infrastructure developed by leading Indian telecom operators.
He concluded that the country's mobile service landscape, which began with 2G, now sees over 85 of India's population and over 99 per cent of its districts enjoying access to 5G services.
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