The Maharashtra government on Wednesday announced a partnership with industrialist Elon Musk’s India-based satellite-based communications venture Starlink Satellite Communications Pvt Ltd to set up satellite-based internet services. Thus, it has become the first Indian state to formally tie up with an American company. The government signed a Letter of Interest (LOI) with the company. Let us also tell you what kind of news has come out.
Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis said this makes Maharashtra the first state to collaborate with Starlink to establish satellite-based internet services for government institutions, rural communities and critical public infrastructure in remote and deprived areas and aspirational districts like Gadchiroli, Nandurbar, Washim and Dharashiv. Musk’s Starlink is one of the largest companies in the ICT (information and communications technology) industry, with the largest number of communications satellites in the world.
How and where will Maharashtra get services?
Fadnavis wrote on social media platform X that it is a matter of honor for us that the company is coming to India and partnering with Maharashtra. He said the Maharashtra-Starlink collaboration supports the state’s flagship Digital Maharashtra mission and integrates with its EV (electric vehicles), coastal development and disaster management programmes. Fadnavis said that with this historic decision, Maharashtra will lead India in satellite-enabled digital infrastructure. He said this is a huge leap towards a future-ready Maharashtra and sets a benchmark for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Digital India Mission at the grassroots level.
License to Starlink from Telecom Department
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) had awarded the Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite (GMPCS) license to Starlink in June after the company had met all the security requirements specified in its letter of intent. Starlink is now the third satcom company to receive a GMPCS license to provide services in the country, after Eutelsat’s OneWeb and Reliance Jio. In July, Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia confirmed that Musk-led Starlink had received the license to launch satellite internet services in India. The Tesla CEO had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to the US in February, where the two discussed Starlink’s launch plans and India’s concerns over meeting certain security conditions.