Minister of State for Communications and Rural Development, Dr Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar, in a  written reply to an unstarred question in the Rajya Sabha today, said that during the last five years, Nelco Limited, Yotta Network Services Private Limited, OneWeb India Communications Private Limited, JIO Satellite Communications Limited, Starlink Satellite Communications Private Limited, Amazon Kuiper Services India Private Limited, and Connect4sure Technologies Private Limited have applied to Department of Telecommunications (DoT) for grant of Unified License (UL) with authorization for Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite (GMPCS) Service for national service area, including Gujarat.

After examination of these applications, DoT has issued Unified License (UL) with authorisation for GMPCS service to three companies, namely OneWeb India Communications Private Limited, JIO Satellite Communications Limited, and Starlink Satellite Communications Private Limited. The applications of Nelco Limited and Yotta Network Services Private Limited have been rejected, whereas Connect4sure Technologies Private Limited has withdrawn its application. The application of Amazon Kuiper Services India Private Limited is under examination.

Satellite-based communication services can provide connectivity in rural, underserved and unserved areas, including remote, coastal, border and mountainous regions of the country, which otherwise are difficult to be covered through terrestrial media such as optical fiber, microwave, etc. It is also mentioned that as per the License conditions, the licensee will provide satellite-based communication services without any discrimination from any applicant at any place in the service area for the service(s) authorized. This will support in bridging the digital divide, addressing the last mile connectivity issues and promoting equitable access to digital services.

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MI/ARJ

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