Telecom operators want level-playing field with satellite companies

Move comes days after Elon Musk tweets on Starlink internet services in India

Telecom operators have written to the department of space to avoid the ‘backdoor’ entry of satellite communications operators in the country. The move comes a few days after billionaire businessman Elon Musk tweeted that his Starlink internet services would be available in India  as soon as it gets regulatory approvals next year. 

Musk’s Starlink, which plans to have a constellation of 40,000 low-orbit satellites, recently started offering high-speed internet in the US as part of its beta launch phase.

Responding to the draft Spacecom Policy, released by the Indian Space Research Organisation last month (ISRO), the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI)