As India moves towards envisioning a full-fledged and reliable Satcom ecosystem for its audience, the government plans to set up a Satcom monitoring facility with a budget outlay of over Rs 900 crore. The facility will be fully equipped to monitor both Indian and foreign satellites over Indian airspace, safeguard orbital and spectrum resources for upcoming Indian satellites, particularly non-geostationary (NGSO) systems, and foster a supportive ecosystem for establishing gateways in India to serve both domestic and global operations. The highest decision-making body of the DoT has already greenlighted the proposal. 

All this is amidst India’s ongoing expansion of its satcom capabilities through permitting the entry of foreign companies like Starlink, while domestic companies like Eutelsat, OneWeb, and Jio-SES have already been granted the testing spectrum by the DoT. While companies strive to capitalize on India’s Satcom dreams, the government is yet to notify the spectrum fee suggested by TRAI in its latest recommendation. The government is reportedly planning an entire systemic structure to maintain and oversee the Satcom ecosystem of India. 

New Telecom Policy, 2025: Drawing a Clear Picture 

“Some of the measures are likely to be announced through the new Telecom Policy, which will create a roadmap for the next five years or by 2030,” said one of the officials to ET. The government is currently working on the New Telecom Policy, 2025, wherein the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is currently aggregating suggestions and recommendations from the stakeholders. 

The government is all set to notify the New Telecom Policy (NTP), which aims to double telecom product exports and advocate universal adoption at affordable rates by 2030. 

To read more about the New Telecom Policy:2025, click here! 

Why a Satcom Monitoring Facility?

Once operational, the facility will monitor both domestic and foreign satellites over Indian airspace, as well as satellite-based communication services within the country. “Apart from monitoring, the facility would help mitigate interference from adjacent satellites in the Indian sky, and there would be better coordination," the official said. 

India’s Satcom Capabilities 

While companies like Starlink and Kuiper have a huge number of satellites over the sky, India’s own Eutelsat Oneweb, with Bharti Airtel the highest shareholder of the same, has just 600 satellites, which is far less compared to 7,000 of Starlink and 3,000 of Kuiper. 

Beyond this, India doesn’t have any LEO satellite operators as of now, but the government intends to give more and more space to the new entrants to serve the sector and utilize India’s space resources. With this, remember what Sonali Nanda of IN-SPACe said at Convergence India 2025. “IN-SPACe Is Actively Promoting Indian Businesses and Startups to Enter the Satcom Industry,” Says Sonali Nanda of IN-SPACe. 

To read more on what IN-SPACe’s Sonali Nanda said at Convergence 2025, click here! 

The commercial launch of satcom services is slated to commence in the coming months once DoT allocates spectrum to companies. The commercial rollout of Satcom services is expected to begin in the coming months, following spectrum allocation by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT). The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has already recommended the administrative allocation of Satcom spectrum for five years, with a proposed fee set at 4% of adjusted gross revenue (AGR).