SpaceX to partner with Indian companies to manufacture satellite communications gear

Elon Musk-headed SpaceX is planning to join hands with Indian companies to locally manufacture satellite communications equipment. This comes as the company prepares to launch its high-speed Starlink satellite broadband service in India next year. The equipment that SpaceX is aiming to produce in the country includes antenna systems and user terminal devices.

During the company’s first official interaction with Department of Telecommunications (DoT) secretary Anshu Prakash on Monday, 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,” as mentioned in a report in The Economic Times.

Botwin said that SpaceX has always looked for opportunities to maximise its efficiency in its global supply chain and is now looking forward to working with its partners in India as it recognises those opportunities.

DoT had called for a meeting with global satellite companies to come up with a holistic roadmap for local manufacturing of communications gear as well as to create a regulatory framework for  global low earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellation operators. Along with SpaceX, officials from Reliance Jio, Vodafone Idea, OneWeb, Airtel, Viasat, Hughes, Department of Space and TRAI were also present.

Botwin said during the meeting that SpaceX has been working with the Indian industrial sector for a long time. He said the company has been buying steel and steel-tubing for many of its rockets from India and is now committed to manufacture hardware and satellite components and components of (satellite broadband) networks in the country.

SpaceX has been accepting pre-orders for the beta version of Starlink satellite internet service in India for a refundable deposit of over Rs 7,000. While it is targeting satellite broadband services in India in 2022, availability is subject to regulatory approvals.

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