India, Nov. 6 -- The telecom regulator on Thursday recommended a new licence that would allow companies to build and run satellite communication networks in India and rent them to telecom operators, without selling services directly to the public.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) proposed the "Satellite Communication Network (SCN) provider authorisation" under the Telecommunications Act, 2023. The recommendations are not binding and would take effect only if the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) accepts them.

If DoT accepts the recommendations, global satellite firms such as Starlink and Eutelsat OneWeb could enter India purely as network providers. Telecom companies such as Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel could offe...