Amazon has made repeated representations to the Indian government seeking faster approval for its satellite communication (satcom) licence, even as it continues to lag behind its planned satellite deployment timeline, as per The Economic Times report.
The company has written multiple times to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) regarding its application, which is yet to be reviewed by the inter-ministerial committee (IMC) responsible for clearing satcom proposals.
While Amazon has already submitted an unconditional undertaking to comply with security norms in October last year, it is still awaiting clearance that would lead to the issuance of a letter of intent (LoI).
Amazon currently has around 200 satellites in low earth orbit (LEO), significantly behind its planned constellation of 3,200 satellites.
The delay has also drawn criticism internationally, with US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chair Brendan Carr recently flagging concerns over the slow rollout.
To address the shortfall, the company has requested a 2-year extension until July 2028 from the FCC to meet its deployment milestones.
Amazon had originally applied for a satcom permit in India in October 2023, signalling its intent to enter the country’s emerging satellite broadband market.
As per the report, Amazon’s push for faster approval is driven by competitive urgency, particularly the risk of losing ground to Elon Musk-owned Starlink, which could gain an early advantage in capturing both retail and enterprise users once services go live.
Amazon is planning to offer nearly three times the capacity of Starlink in India, supported by an infrastructure plan that includes 10 gateways and two points of presence.
In terms of global capacity, Starlink already operates over 7,000 LEO satellites, while rivals such as Eutelsat OneWeb have about 648 satellites, and the Jio-SES combine is expected to deploy around 11 medium earth orbit (MEO) satellites.
India’s satellite communication capacity is expected to expand sharply with the rollout of LEO constellations. At present, non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) satellites provide around 70 Gbps of bandwidth, compared to about 58 Gbps from geostationary orbit (GSO) systems.
This capacity is projected to scale up significantly to terabyte levels once new constellations become operational.
Meanwhile, the government is preparing to allocate satcom spectrum, with the DoT finalising pricing and regulatory norms. The proposal, once cleared by the Digital Communication Commission (DCC), will be sent for Cabinet approval.
The DoT has proposed a 5% adjusted gross revenue (AGR) charge for spectrum usage, along with a 1% concession for underserved areas, differing from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s (TRAI) earlier recommendation of 4% AGR and an additional ₹500 levy for urban users.
Read More: Amazon India Removes Referral Fees for Products Under ₹1,000 to Support Sellers!
With regulatory approvals pending and competitive pressures intensifying, Amazon’s progress in India’s satcom market will depend on both timely clearances and its ability to accelerate satellite deployment in the coming years.
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Published on: Mar 17, 2026, 1:36 PM IST
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