Union Minister of Communications Jyotiraditya M Scindia
| Photo Credit:
PTI
The government on Thursday said that Elon Musk-led Starlink has received its licence to launch satellite communication (satcom) services in India, and a framework for spectrum allocation was also in place for a smooth rollout.
The announcement coincided with the 30th anniversary of the first cellular call made in the country 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 smooth rollout,” Jyotiraditya Scindia, Minister of Telecommunications, said at the anniversary event.
Bharti Group-backed Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio-SES are also awaiting spectrum allocation to roll out their satcom services.
Net usage surges
Scindia noted that over the last 11 years, India’s digital transformation has been nothing short of extraordinary. “From remote villages to bustling cities, digital access has empowered citizens, bridged divides, and made India a global leader in affordable, inclusive technology,” he said.
The Minister also said that 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 an 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 dropped by 96.6 per cent, making India the global leader in affordable data at just ₹8.9 per GB,” he said.
He also highlighted that the revival of BSNL has been a major breakthrough during these years.
“For the first time in 18 years, BSNL reported back-to-back net profits of ₹262 crore and ₹280 crore in FY25. Over 83,000 4G sites have been installed, with 74,000 already operational, all built on indigenously developed technology. Crack Teams, AI-powered monitoring, and fibre fault resolution within 12 hours have raised service standards across the board,” Scindia said.
Trump tariffs
Meanwhile, on the current US tariffs imposed by Trump government, Scindia said the Indian telecom equipment exports to the US “will remain competitive” even after imposition of additional tariffs.
According to official data, telecom equipment worth about ₹85,000 crore have been produced under the PLI scheme, of which equipment worth ₹16,000 crore have been exported to various countries.
Sources in the government said that the Indian electronics industry has got around two weeks’ breather from the proposed tariffs due to the pending review of a key section that covers technologies under the ongoing bilateral negotiations.
“Section 232, which covers electronics and technology products, is expected to come up for review after two weeks. When the US had imposed basic 10 per cent duty, even then technology products were exempted due to pending review of Section 232. This is the position as of now,” said one of them.
Published on July 31, 2025
