Telecom Minister Scindia says his ministry does not govern the timeline of the launch of satcom

The rollout of satellite communication services in India will depend entirely on individual companies and their readiness, Union Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Monday while responding to a question if the satcom services will be rolled out by October this year, providing key updates on the sector’s regulatory progress and market potential.

“Our job is to provide the license if the companies have fulfilled some conditions, which two companies have, and there’s a third company also in the process,” Scindia said at the India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2025 theme launch event. He confirmed that the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has completed its part, including issuing Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite (GMPCS) licenses and enabling a framework for spectrum allocation.

Scindia said the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has finalised rules for administrative spectrum assignment. Once the spectrum is allocated, companies will proceed according to their timelines.

“The spectrum will be allocated to the assigned companies based on the rules for the spectrum allocation, which TRAI has come out with. It then depends on the individual companies to define their path. We can’t define that,” Scindia said, adding that the government expects satellite-based broadband services to complement mobile connectivity.

Elon Musk-owned Starlink is reportedly the third company currently in the pipeline. While the company has secured a letter of intent from the DoT, Starlink is yet to receive clearance from India’s space regulator, IN-SPACe, before it can begin operations. Airtel-backed Eutelsat OneWeb and Reliance Jio’s satellite venture, Jio Space Limited, have received all necessary clearances except for spectrum allotment.

India’s satellite communications market, currently valued at $2.3 billion, according to a KPMG report, is projected to grow nearly tenfold to $20 billion by 2028.

Other players eyeing the Indian satcom market include Amazon’s Project Kuiper, Globalstar, and Jio’s partner SES. The sector is key to India’s broader space ambitions, with the Department of Space projecting the country’s space economy to reach $44 billion by 2033, raising its global share to 7–8%.

India eyes 10% share in global 6G patents by 2030

In addition to comments on the satcom rollout, Scindia said India is targeting a 10% share of global 6G patent filings by 2030. The formal protocols and spectrum framework for 6G, under the IMT-2030 standard, will be finalised at the World Radiocommunication Conference in 2027.

India is currently among the top six countries globally in terms of 6G patent filings, with 460 already filed. Two of India’s proposals, focused on ubiquitous connectivity and equitable access, have already been accepted in ongoing discussions. Scindia said this sets the stage for India to play a significant role in shaping the future of global 6G standards.

“India followed the world on 4G, we marched with the world on 5G, and we will lead the world in 6G. We are among the top six countries today that are filing for 6G,” said Scindia during his keynote at the event.