The upcoming age of connectivity with new technologies is going to bring new threats that the government will need to learn to counter in time. Satcom is one such industry that is expected to rise in the next few years in India. Major satellite broadband companies, including Bharti, owned OneWeb and Elon Musk’s Starlink, have plans for providing internet services from 2022 in India. According to an ET Telecom report, Ajay Kumar, Secretary, Ministry of Defence, said that proper actions are required to be taken to ensure that the new security challenges posed by the satcom industry can be countered on time. Examination of new technologies is very important to determine the security challenges they can bring to the table.
Broadband Satellite Will Require Good Examination of Technology
A thorough examination of the technologies used by the companies such as OneWeb and Starlink will allow the Indian government in framing policies that can cater to the safety of the nation. India already has a Defence Space Agency (DSA) that was created back in 2018 to serve as the dedicated body for detecting and protecting the country against security threats. But even the DSA will require to study more about the technologies that will be coming soon to India. The study of new technology will be necessary for the government to do for keeping the safety interests of consumers at the top. Starlink had already started offering users an option to pre-book the connection in India for $99 (approximately Rs 7,100). This didn’t sit well with the Broadband India Forum (BIF), given Starlink had no grounds for selling a connection to the users in India. The company hasn’t received frequency allocations from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and didn’t even have a license to sell broadband services in the country. Earlier, DoT had said that it would legally examine the offer made by Starlink in India to determine if the satcom company is breaking any laws of the nation. But the telecom department is yet to come up with an update regarding the same. If you have bought a Starlink connection, don’t worry, the company will refund it to you in case you don’t want it anymore, or the company cancels its plans for India.
