India has been waiting for Elon Musk’s satellite internet service, Starlink for a long time. Last year, the government gave preliminary approval to Starlink to launch satellite services in the country; However, actually rolling it out depends on the allocation of spectrum. Meanwhile, there are reports that there has been a new bottleneck in Starlink’s satellite internet service, which may cause further delays.
According to recent reports, the government has objected to Starlink’s Laser Inter-Satellite Link (LISL) technology, delaying the final approval for the service. Let us understand in simple words how this new technology can create problems.
What is LISL?
LISL is a technology that allows satellites to transfer data to each other via laser beams in space, creating a potential risk of data theft. This can be risky from a security point of view. Typically, satellite Internet services send data from a satellite to a ground station; Subsequently, data transfer between different locations also depends on satellite and ground stations, which requires monitoring of data at the ground station.
Why is there confusion?
New laser-based inter-satellite link technology allows data to be shared directly between satellites in space. Since Starlink services have already been launched in neighboring countries like Nepal and Bangladesh, it will be difficult to monitor the data accessed by Indian users. This may pose a threat to national security.
Due to this advanced technology, Starlink has not yet received government approval for its satellite service in India. However, SpaceX is currently in talks with Indian officials on this matter and has also shown them a demo of this technology. It remains to be seen how Starlink’s parent company addresses the government’s concerns – specifically, whether it develops an alternative solution. Only then will Starlink’s satellite internet service be started in India.
