New Delhi: Donald Trump’s return to the White House as the 47th president of the United States could help Elon Musk, chief executive of satellite communications operator Starlink, maintain a favorable regulatory position in the burgeoning satellite industry. satellite communications.

Analysts and political experts suggest that Elon Musk’s support for Trump’s campaign could translate into influence that could thwart Indian business tycoon Mukesh Ambani’s efforts to persuade the Indian government to change its approach to attribution spectrum to service providers when it is auctioned.

“The Indian government’s approach to administrative allocation of satellite spectrum already aligns with the globally established regulatory approach to satcom spectrum,” said Siddhant Cally, research analyst at consultancy and market research Counterpoint. “Given that this already favors what Musk has asked for, the push to retain administrative allocation of satellite spectrum will gain strength, despite Ambani’s efforts to encourage an auction model for the satellite communications industry in India.

Cally’s assessment is consistent with that of other stakeholders. A senior industry official, working closely with operators in India’s telecom and space sectors, said on condition of anonymity: “Musk now has a close ally in the US president, who could urge the Indian government to maintain its stance in favor of making satellite spectrum available. satellite communications service providers in the country. In the short term, it could clearly favor Musk if Trump intervenes on the issue, thereby undoing Sunil Bharti Mittal’s recent U-turn on the satcom spectrum issue. »

On October 15, Mittal, chairman of Bharti Enterprises, the holding company of telecom operator Bharti Airtel and satellite telecom operator Airtel-OneWeb, changed his erstwhile stance, saying: “Satellite companies who have the ambition to establish themselves in urban areas serving an elite retail clientele just need to take the telecoms licenses like everyone else, under the same conditions, and will have to buy the spectrum and pay the licensing rights as telecom players.”

Mittal’s change of heart echoes long-term efforts by Ambani-backed satellite telecom company Jio-SES to encourage spectrum auctions, instead of administrative allocation from the Centre.

As Musk has emerged as a key backer of Trump’s presidential campaign over the past three months, industry players see him potentially playing a key role in the new US government. A senior industry consultant who advises technology companies in India said Musk “could play a technology advisory role in the Trump administration, meaning he would now have considerable power to push for policies favoring its businesses around the world.

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Musk and India

Most parties agree that the impact may take time to be felt, depending on how much emphasis Musk places on the Indian market.

“It is difficult to clearly predict whether Trump’s election will favor Musk over Indian satellite telecommunications operators. This will entirely depend on how big a share of Starlink’s plan is in India. Musk“, which could play an important role in the next US government, would have other areas to focus on, rather than prioritizing India,” said Mathew Chacko, founding partner of law firm Spice Route Legal.

If Musk pushes for a favorable position in the Indian government, most stakeholders suggest that the Center may not move away from the spectrum allocation model as it may prioritize its bilateral relations with the United States.

“This also has advantages, as satellite spectrum is significantly different from conventional commercial land mobile network spectrum. Initially, this should help retain the administrative allocation, which will favor Musk in India thanks to Trump being the president,” said Counterpoint’s Cally.

“From a global perspective, there may be more pressure to abandon technology and not adopt strictly nationalist policies, such as telecom regulation in India. Alternatively, the US government could push to promote technology hubs globally, to strengthen its own advantages and bilateral ties with strategic geographies,” added Spice Route’s Chacko.

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