Indian satellite communications (satcom) sector is waiting to blow up in 2023. The arrival of satellite broadband services would immensely benefit the Indian economy in the medium term. Because of satcom, communication in remote areas where the terrestrial networks can't reach would become possible. But it would not be an easy task for the satcom players to navigate through the Indian market. This is because there are a lot of regulatory challenges, and then the government is also not yet clear on the policy around the spectrum. However, the question is not just of the Indian market. But globally, different countries would have different requirements and policies that satcom players would need to comply with.
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Regulatory Approvals a Big Challenge
Elon Musk has said before that for a company such as Starlink, providing blanket network coverage is not that big of an issue. The major issue lies in complying with the regulatory norms of each of the countries that Starlink is present in. This makes a lot of sense as well. Terrestrial network service providers don't run global operations at the scale satcom companies plan to. Thus, the challenge for the satcom companies to keep the governments of all the countries happy is a big one.
Most countries would have different regulatory norms and policies. India, China, and Pakistan are all neighbours; however, they would likely have a different set of rules and policies that Starlink would need to comply with. So a lot of the resources of the satcom companies would go into keeping themselves updated and in line with the regulatory policies.
This is also something that countries in different regions need to understand. To boost the private satcom sector, the government and the satcom players would need to have free-flowing discussions in order to arrive on the same page.
