'OneWeb is waiting too': Bharti Airtel chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal responds to Musk’s allegations of bias in satellite service approvals

Dismissing Elon Musk's allegations that his satcom company Starlink is being blocked in India, Bharti Airtel chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal said that even his satcom venture, Eutelsat OneWeb, is awaiting approvals to start operations.

On Wednesday, Musk alleged that "certain oligarchs" have blocked Starlink in India to maintain their monopoly.

Musk did not explicitly name any company but said, "You can guess who they are".


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India's telecom market has three private players: Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea.

Musk-led Starlink, Jio Satcom and Eutelsat OneWeb are the three satellite communications companies in the fray to start satellite services in the country.

The government has granted licences to the three satellite communications companies for starting operations in the country.

However, all the companies need spectrum and security clearance before starting the service.

When asked about his view on Musk's allegations, Mittal at India Mobile Congress said: "We are waiting for our own approvals".

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Bharti Group-backed Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio Satcom were the first two satcom companies to have received licenses for services, but they are yet to get spectrum and security clearance for rolling out services.

Jio Platforms Managing Director Akash Ambani refused to comment on the issue.

The government on Thursday slammed US business tycoon Elon Musk over his allegations that Starlink's satcom services are being blocked, and made it clear that demonstrating compliance with security norms is an absolute must for every satcom licensee in the country.

"The government has put in place a fair and non-discriminatory authorisation framework for all telecommunication services, including satellite communication services," the telecom ministry said on Thursday.

The telecom ministry said that under the terms and conditions of license, every such licensee is required to demonstrate compliance with security conditions.

"This is aimed at ensuring that services provided meet various security requirements to ensure safety of all users and their data. Security assessment as part of this process is currently under way in respect of all three licensees," the ministry said.

The ministry said that as and when this process is completed for a licensed entity, it may proceed to the next step of seeking assignment of spectrum.

"At present, all three entities are broadly at the same regulatory stage. As such, the suggestion that the framework or its application is unfair or discriminatory is baseless and misconceived," the statement said.