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Parliamentary Standing Committee headed by Nishikant Dubey (Img: Pinterest)
New Delhi: Amid the ongoing controversy over Elon Musk-owned Starlink's proposed operations in India, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology has decided to examine commercial satellite broadband services in the country.
According to sources close to Nishikant Dubey, chairman of the standing committee, a decision was taken at a meeting of committee members, who selected satellite internet as one of the subjects for examination and study.
Among the companies that have applied for licences to launch satellite internet services in India are US-based Starlink, Sunil Bharti Mittal-backed Eutelsat OneWeb, and Reliance's Jio Satcom.
As of today, broadband and mobile data services in India are delivered primarily through terrestrial telecom networks and infrastructure. Importantly, the BJP's ideological mentor, the RSS, very recently took a strong position against Starlink, urging the government to block the company's entry into India.
The decision to bring satellite internet services under parliamentary scrutiny came even as top government sources reiterated that satellite communication companies must comply with Indian laws and regulatory requirements to operate in the country.
With Elon Musk stepping up his criticism of India's regulatory framework through posts on X targeting Indian business interests, sources said companies must adhere to rules requiring the establishment of necessary ground infrastructure, including base stations integrated with the national security apparatus.
