Latest news with #ElonMusk-owned
Time of India
2 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Starlink nears India launch: Elon Musk's satcom giant gets final regulatory go-ahead, prepares for compliance trials
Representative image Elon Musk-owned Starlink is poised to receive its final regulatory approval to launch satellite communication services in India, with space regulator IN-SPACe issuing a draft authorisation document for the company to sign. Once completed, the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre will countersign the document, effectively clearing the way for Starlink to begin operations. The development will place Starlink on par with existing satcom players Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio Satellite, both of whom have already secured similar approvals. Starlink received its Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite (GMPCS) licence last month, becoming the third company in India permitted to offer satellite-based communication services, reported ET. Starlink India: What's next? Despite receiving the GMPCS licence and being close to final authorisation, Starlink must still fulfil critical operational and security requirements before launching commercial services in India. The company is now required to set up ground infrastructure, including satellite earth stations, communication gateways, and a control and monitoring centre within Indian territory. Following the installation of these systems, Starlink will have to demonstrate service functionality for security clearance, a mandatory step for all satcom operators. Without this security nod, companies are not permitted to commercially roll out services, even if they hold all necessary licences. Rivals OneWeb and Jio Satellite, which received their GMPCS permits in 2021 and 2022 respectively, are still awaiting security approval. Both companies were allocated trial spectrum by the department of telecommunications (DoT) last year to test their systems and demonstrate compliance. This trial allocation has now been extended by six months. Security watch, spectrum talks shape Starlink's rollout Starlink's progress will be closely watched by Indian security agencies, especially in light of earlier concerns. Authorities previously raised alarms over the unauthorised use of Starlink terminals in sensitive regions like the Northeast. The ministry of home affairs flagged the issue to the DoT in March this year, leading to increased scrutiny of the company's operations and data-sharing practices. Under India's satcom regulations, all traffic must be monitored within the country, pass through Indian gateways, and comply with local control protocols. Companies are also required to create buffer zones along international borders as part of the operational mandate. The DoT is expected to soon allocate a trial spectrum to Starlink to allow for demonstrations of its services and security compliance. India is simultaneously working on streamlining its satellite spectrum allocation policy. The telecom regulatory authority of India (TRAI) has recommended that satcom spectrum be assigned administratively for five years. The proposed fee is set at 4% of a provider's adjusted gross revenue (AGR). For urban users, an additional charge of Rs 500 per subscriber annually is expected, while no such cost will be levied for rural users. Notably, there will be no upfront fee or allocation cost for satellite spectrum under these recommendations. In a sign of the government's growing interest in satellite connectivity, communications minister Jyotiraditya Scindia recently met top SpaceX officials to discuss opportunities to use satellite technologies for expanding India's digital infrastructure Stay informed with the latest business news, updates on bank holidays and public holidays . AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
Time of India
3 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Starlink to soon get regulator's final approval for India entry
US satcom major Starlink is set to clear the final regulatory requirement for offering services in India with space regulator IN-SPACe issuing a draft document for signing to the Elon Musk-owned company, people aware of the details told ET. Once Starlink signs the document-which is akin to a letter of intent and appears to be a formality-the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) will also sign and issue the authorisation. "The authorisation to Starlink will be issued soon," said a person privy to the details. After this, Starlink will be on a par with rivals Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio Satellite in terms of regulatory approvals. The company was granted a Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite (GMPCS) permit last month, becoming the third satcom player in the country that can offer commercial satcom services. However, despite securing the regulatory approvals, it will take more time for the company to start offering commercial services. The company now needs to set up earth stations or gateways and control centre in India, which is a prerequisite for players to offer satcom services. After setting up the ground infrastructure, the company has to demonstrate the services for security compliance and once the nod is given by security agencies that the company can launch commercial services. Getting a security go-ahead is crucial for satcom players, failing which the firms won't be allowed to offer commercial services, despite them holding the requisite permits. OneWeb got the satcom permit in 2021 while Jio satellite did in 2022 but both the companies are yet to secure the security compliance nod. These companies were given trial spectrum last year by the department of telecommunications (DoT) to test their services and also demonstrate to security agencies. The trial spectrum has now been extended for another six months by the DoT. The situation can be critical for Starlink as security agencies had earlier raised concerns over misuse of Starlink terminals in India, particularly in the border areas of Northeast region. ET had earlier reported about Starlink not cooperating in sharing details with the security agencies. This had forced the ministry of home affairs (MHA) to write to the DoT in March to investigate the matter. As per rules, satcom licence holders have to monitor all traffic, establish satellite earth station gateways, set up a control and monitoring centre in India, and all the traffic originating or terminating in India shall pass through Indian gateways. The companies are also required to create buffer zones along the international order. The DoT is soon expected to give trial spectrum soon to Starlink to demonstrate the security compliances. A few days back, communications minister Jyotiraditya Scindia had met top officials of SpaceX, which is the holding company of Starlink, to discuss collaborative opportunities for powering the country's digital ambitions through transformative satellite technologies. The DoT is soon expected to finalise the pricing and rules for allocating satellite spectrum administratively after receiving recommendations from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India. The regulator had recommended administrative allocation of satcom spectrum for five years for a fee pegged at 4% of the licence holder's adjusted gross revenue. Satcom companies offering services in urban areas would have to shell out an additional ₹500 per subscriber annually, but nothing for rural users. There won't be any upfront charge or allocation price for satellite spectrum, as per its suggestions.
New York Post
4 days ago
- Automotive
- New York Post
Charlotte drops Tesla from approved city vehicle list, alleging safety issues
Charlotte City Council in North Carolina voted Monday to remove Tesla from its list of approved vehicle manufacturers for municipal use, with one supportive member citing alleged 'safety issues.' Councilwoman LaWana Mayfield, who led the effort, has favored such a move for weeks, according to WCNC. The 11-member board with nine Democrats voted 6-3 in favor of removing the Elon Musk-owned company from the list of more than a dozen approved vendors as the city seeks to purchase 45 electric vehicles. 'When we are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars and putting our employees out in these vehicles, and we are using tax dollars to do it, we also have the opportunity to think about the investments we are making on behalf of our citizens,' Mayfield said, according to the outlet. 3 The 11-member board with nine Democrats voted 6-3 in favor of removing the Elon Musk-owned company from the list. AP 'So, it is not just the particular owner of this product. It is the fact that this product has been in multiple lawsuits because of safety issues, and there are multiple concerns.' However, one of the no votes, Republican Ed Driggs, told WFAE the removal of Tesla in the current environment sets a dangerous precedent 'if we have reasons that aren't related to the cost and the performance of purchased items for excluding them.' 3 Republican Ed Driggs told WFAE the removal of Tesla in the current environment sets a dangerous precedent. REUTERS 'We already have Teslas in the fleet,' Driggs said, and consumer data shows Teslas to be largely safer than other vehicles when it comes to safety recalls, according to multiple reports. Other vendors remaining on the list include local Chevrolet and Ford dealers, Alamo Rent-A-Car and Hyundai's construction implementation sector. Democrat Dimple Ajmera joined Driggs and Republican Edwin Peacock in opposing the move. 3 Consumer data shows Teslas to be largely safer than other vehicles when it comes to safety recalls. AP Democrats Dante Anderson, Malcolm Gaham, Victoria Watlington, Tiawana Brown and Renee Johnson sided with Mayfield. Fox Business reached out to Tesla for comment but did not receive a response by press time.
Indian Express
7 days ago
- Business
- Indian Express
Elon Musk's X working on physical debit card as part of new ‘X Money' venture: Report
Following its rebranding, most people now associate 'X' with the Elon Musk-owned social media platform. However, as per findings from AppSensa (a mobile app intelligence firm), the X app has been updated with new code strings, referencing a physical debit card, customisable with X usernames. This comes as part of an upcoming venture called X Money. Some code strings have the words 'physical_card_option', indicating both a potential physical card, as well as it being an option, according to a report by TechCrunch. This is a notable development for X Money, after CEO Linda Yaccarino announced in January this year that it is partnering with Visa to enable secure, instant funding to the user's X Wallet via Visa Direct, alongside enabling peer-to-peer (P2P) payments. Yaccarino had hinted at bigger announcements about X Money throughout the year. In order to support the venture, X (as X Payments LLC) has taken money transmitter licences in 32 US states till date, as per NMLS Consumer Access. It has also increased its registrations to 41 US states as well. Other code uncovered by Appsensa indicates potential cashbacks, deferred debit, theft indication, and cancellation of either the user's virtual or physical card. Based on the code, it seems that the virtual and physical cards are independent of each other. Another noteworthy aspect is the potential links to other brands. While Visa is the only brand currently confirmed to be working with X, the code indicates links to Mastercard and Amex as payment card brands supported by the platform. This development also shows progress in X owner Elon Musk's plan in November 2022 to make it into an 'everything app', and hinted at the addition of payments and banking within the app. Since Musk's 2022 takeover, the platform is said to have alienated many users and advertisers over reports of rising hate speech and misinformation. In 2024, app researcher Nima Owji spotting the addition of a 'Payments' button in the in-app navigation bar. In a recent Financial Times interview, Yaccarino said that X Money would be offering investments and trading within the app. However, with the last official reference to the release date being Yaccarino's post on January 28 announcing the partnership with Visa, it is still unclear when X Money will be officially launched. Other social media giants, such as Facebook parent Meta, have added shopping, games and even dating features. Consumers now have different platforms at their disposal for communications, payment services, entertainment and more. (This article has been curated by Purv Ashar, who is an intern with The Indian Express)
Time of India
23-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Amazon launches 27 Kuiper satellites, to compete with Elon Musk's Starlink
Amazon has launched another 27 satellites for its Project Kuiper, intensifying competition with SpaceX's Starlink in the satellite internet market. This second successful launch brings Amazon's total to 54 satellites in orbit, marking progress toward its goal of providing global internet coverage with a planned constellation of 3,236 satellites. Amazon has launched 27 more satellites under its Project Kuiper on Monday (June 23), taking another step toward building a large network of internet satellites in low Earth orbit. The launch puts Amazon in closer competition with Elon Musk-owned SpaceX's Starlink, which currently leads the satellite internet market. The satellites were launched aboard a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 6:54 a.m. ET (4:24pm IST). 'We have ignition and lift off of United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket carrying satellites for Amazon's Project Kuiper internet constellation,' said ULA engineer Ben Chilton during a livestream of the launch. Amazon's second successful Kuiper launch This is Amazon's second successful Kuiper launch. The mission had been delayed twice due to bad weather and a technical issue with the rocket booster. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Trade Bitcoin & Ethereum – No Wallet Needed! IC Markets Start Now Undo The first batch of 27 satellites was sent into orbit in April this year. The company now has a total of 54 Kuiper satellites in space. These launches mark the beginning of Amazon's plan to build a network of 3,236 satellites to provide global internet coverage. Amazon must deploy at least half of its planned satellites — 1,618 — by July 2026 to meet a deadline set by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC). To achieve this goal, Amazon has booked more than 80 satellite launches with various providers, including SpaceX, its main competitor. Starlink, operated by Elon Musk's SpaceX, already has about 8,000 satellites in orbit and offers satellite internet service globally. Project Kuiper was first announced in 2019 as Amazon's move into the growing satellite internet market. The company says the service will help expand internet access in remote and underserved areas once it becomes fully operational. JOB SCAM ALERT! Don't Let Fake Recruiters Steal Your Money AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
