A non-profit organisation, Telecom Watchdog, has sought the sector regulator’s (TRAI) intervention in order to file a criminal case against SpaceX. It stated that Elon Musk's company is cheating prospective users prompting users in India to pre-book space broadband plans. In a letter to the secretary of TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India), V Raghunandan on September 29, the non-profit organisation stated that it requests them to take immediate action to stop Starlink’s illegal activity. It seeks the regulator to file a criminal case under Section 420 of the Indian Penal Code+ against the company for cheating.
Complaint Against Starlink
Furthermore, the organisation also asked the segment regulatory to take necessary steps to make sure users who have pre-booked are refunded with interest. Also, it requests the sector to reprimand the DoT officials for inaction on the issue.
Notably, this is one of the two letters that the organisation sent to the telecom authorities as it seeks to take action against Starlink owned by SpaceX. A few days back, it sent a similar letter to DoT secretary, in which the organisation said that Starlink is cheating consumers by taking pre-orders with a deposit of $99 (nearly Rs 7,500) for the service that is yet to be launched.
As per ET Telecom, in the letter, it stated that they want to highlight the serious event wherein customers are being duped by Starlink Internet Services Limited, which is registered in Ireland. As per Telecom Watchdog, Starlink has not obtained any license to provide satellite communication or satcom services in the country. Furthermore, it is believed that the company owned by Elon Musk’s SpaceX had been involved in unethical business practices as it will let interested customers take a look at the terms and conditions only when they pay the deposit.
After making the payment for the service, consumers are told that there is no guarantee regarding when the service will be launched in the country. Also, the tariff will be informed later, it adds. For those who are unaware, Starlink started accepting pre-books in India in March and stated that its services are to be available by 2022 in the country.
