Government says satellite service authorisation is unbiased, cites GMPCS licences

In response to a viral post suggesting that India’s satellite communication policy is discriminatory, the Ministry of Communications reaffirmed on October 8 that its licensing model is impartial. The framework, which governs all telecom services, extends to satellite communications and has already resulted in the grant of three Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite licences. These licences are for non‑geosynchronous satellite systems and come with mandatory security stipulations to safeguard user privacy and data integrity. The ministry noted that security clearances are in progress for each licence holder, after which they can move forward to the next phase of spectrum assignment. All three firms are currently at the same regulatory checkpoint, rendering claims of preferential treatment unfounded.