Globalstar, Apple's satcom partner, joins the race to enter India's space communications market

New Delhi: Apple's satcom partner Globalstar is the latest to seek regulatory approval for offering its services in India, joining Elon Musk's Starlink, Bharti-backed Eutelsat OneWeb, Jeff Bezos-led Amazon Kuiper, and Reliance Jio vying for a foothold in India's lucrative space communications market.

Globalstar has applied to the nodal body Indian National Space Promotion & Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) seeking authorisation for starting its services, people familiar with the matter said. They added that the company is expected to apply for a GMPCS (global mobile personal communications by satellite services) licence shortly with the Department of Telecommunications (DoT). One of the persons said Globalstar has also secured some test spectrum from DoT for demonstrating disaster management use cases, though the company is yet to apply for a commercial licence such as GMPCS or VSAT.

The DoT allocates spectrum for a limited period to entities for experimentation, demonstration and testing requirements on a self-declaration basis. As per DoT, the spectrum is offered on "non-interference and non- protection basis" and on "no commercial services".

Globalstar did not respond to ET's queries.

Currently, Globalstar serves iPhone users with direct-to-cell service while it caters to industries with satcom services.

The Delaware-based low earth orbit (LEO) global satellite systems operator last year indicated its plans to enter India. In its submission to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) in August 2024, Globalstar said it was keen to establish a wholly owned subsidiary in India for which it proposes to apply for GMPCS authorisation. It had also disclosed plans for setting up a land earth station gateway in India. Setting up local gateways is a key requirement for foreign companies to serve the Indian market.

Satellite companies need a GMPCS licence as well as IN-SPACe authorisation for launching commercial services in India. To date, only Eutelsat OneWeb and Orbit Connect India-a 51:49 joint venture between Mukesh Ambani's Jio Platforms and Luxembourg-based satcom firm SES-have GMPCS permits and IN-SPACe authorisations.

Starlink and Kuiper are yet to secure either of the regulatory approvals.

Apple had partnered with Globalstar to offer satellite connectivity in 2022. Last year, Apple expanded the satellite connectivity option on iPhones, allowing users to send and receive messages via satellite in the absence of terrestrial or Wi-Fi coverage.

Earlier, the option was limited to emergency services. The satellite connectivity option is available in over 16 countries including the US, Canada, the UK, Australia and other European nations. This option is available on iPhone 14 and later models.

The update by Apple makes satellite connectivity much more accessible to iPhone users, allowing them to remain connected across geographies.

The direct-to-cell satellite connectivity is the latest technology advancement to cause ripples in the telecom space. While the technology is at a nascent stage and currently supplementing terrestrial connectivity, a section of the industry feels that going forward, satcom services will compete with terrestrial networks as both will be connecting the mobile customers directly.

This service is not available in India currently. However, with Globalstar seeking regulatory approval, the same can be offered in India in the future, said industry experts.

Starlink has already partnered with Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel for offering satellite services. When Starlink secures regulatory approvals, the partnership will also offer direct-to-cell services as well.

Companies like Starlink and AST SpaceMobile have announced plans to offer satellite connectivity directly on mobile phones.