While India’s time to receive Starlink's satellite broadband services is scheduled for next year, Elon Musk's SpaceX aims to partner with Indian companies to locally manufacture satellite communications equipment, including antenna systems and user terminal devices.

The Department of Telecommunication (DoT) conducted a meeting with global satellite companies to discuss a holistic roadmap for locally manufacturing satellite communications gear and ways to create an enabling regulatory regime for global LEO satellite constellation operators to establish in-country gateways in India.

OneWeb, Viasat, Hughes, Airtel, Reliance Jio, Vodafone Idea, the Department of Space, and the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India had attended the meeting.

“SpaceX has been dealing with the Indian industrial sector for a long time, buying steel and steel-tubing for many of its rockets,” Matt Botwin, one of Musk's key lieutenants, stated during the discussion. He stated that the company is now dedicated to manufacturing hardware, satellite components, and (satellite broadband) network components in India.

For a fully refundable deposit of $99 (above Rs 7,000), SpaceX has been accepting pre-orders for the beta version of its Starlink satellite internet service in India. The company's satellite broadband services are slated to launch in India in 2022, according to its website, however availability is contingent on regulatory approvals.

Satellite companies fiercely opposed the Indian government auctioning mmWave satellite spectrum in the 28 GHz band for 5G mobile services at the discussion, claiming that doing so would negatively effect their data download speeds and geographic reach in India.

“Unlike mobile spectrum, satellite spectrum is not dedicated to a single satellite operator by its very nature of usage, and it is not auctioned but assigned as per International Telecom Union (ITU) regulations all over the world,” said Anil Prakash, director general of Satcom Industry Association of India (SIA-India), who was present at the meeting.

The valued 28 GHz spectrum (with a band range of 27.5 GHz to 29.5 GHz) is currently only used by satellite operators, although it is thought to be a highly efficient band for 5G services.

Telcos, for their part, have frequently warned the Department of Telecom that the lack of 28 GHz spectrum could jeopardise India's 5G business case. They claimed that if these airwaves were not available, 5G rollout prices would skyrocket, making the ultra-fast wireless internet service unaffordable in the country.

During SpaceX's first official meeting with DoT, Matt Botwin, director (market access with the Starlink program), said, "SpaceX is excited to find ways to work together with the Indian industry for manufacturing products for its Starlink devices."

Botwin stated that the company is constantly looking for methods to improve the efficiency of its (global) supply chain and that it "looks forward to working with its partners in India to recognize such opportunities”.