Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Friday asserted that India does not allow monopoly in any sector, and said despite the buzz around one “particular” company, the fact is three players have received satcom licences and can start operations after individually meeting security requirements and milestones.
“Let me set the record straight. For us, the Department of Telecommunications, we are technology agnostic… Our job is to be able to provide the bouquet of services to every single customer.
It is for the customer to choose in a free market which service he or she prefers, and within that service bouquet, which company’s service he or she prefers,” the minister said at a briefing at India Mobile Congress here. Scindia on Friday said India doesn’t allow monopoly in any sector.
“We are very clear on our stand. “Starlink is licensed in over 165 countries and has spent five years complying with every single law and requirement of the government of India, so why still no license?
There are three parties that have got a licence, as and when the government decides the charge system on the revenue basis, that spectrum will be assigned to them, and as and when they individually fulfil security conditions, then they can start operations,” the Minister said. Hitting out at Congress, in the backdrop of Rahul Gandhi and Elon Musk’s exchange on X, the minister said, “As far as the Congress party is concerned… I don’t think they themselves know whether they’re going left or right,” he said. He said that Congress initially had a problem with “a certain person getting a licence” and pointed out “Now they have a problem, and they’ve allied with that person in terms of why he’s not getting a license”. Musk said in an X post. Earlier reporting noted: “India Doesn’t Allow Monopoly In Any Sector”: Minister To Musk’s Claims “India Doesn’t Allow Monopoly In Any Sector”: Minister To Musk’s Claims “India Doesn’t Allow Monopoly In Any Sector”: Minister To Musk’s Claims Earlier reporting noted: Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Friday underscored that “India does not allow a monopoly in any sector”, following a series of posts by SpaceX and Starlink boss Elon Musk who had claimed the company’s licences were being blocked by vested interests.
Earlier reporting noted: The government and Elon Musk engaged in a verbal spat on Thursday after the Telecom Department rejected allegations that Starlink’s satellite internet services were being blocked by domestic business interests.
“So I don’t know whether they have clarity on where they’re going, but that is the case with the Congress, which is to be expected,” Scindia said.
