"How Exposed Is India's Infrastructure to Foreign Technology?"
NavIC
India's regional satellite navigation system providing positioning and timing over the Indian subcontinent
Standalone PNT
positioning, navigation and timing signals provided without depending on another country's system
India wants to rely less on foreign technology in important areas. At the same time, India still depends on foreign technology providers. In satellite communications, the Department of Telecommunications says any company must get security clearance before offering broadband services using satellites. This protects sensitive communication links from outside control. India built its own regional navigation system called NavIC. This reduces reliance on the U.S.-run GPS. The government also adopted a 2015 policy. This policy makes open-source software the preferred choice for e-governance projects. This helps reduce dependence on foreign commercial software. The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) built the Unified Payments Interface (UPI). This gave India a mostly homegrown digital payments system. India no longer relies only on foreign card networks like Visa and Mastercard. ISRO has launched many communication satellites since the 1980s. These satellites support broadcasting and government needs. These systems form the backbone of the country's own space capability.
India currently licenses three companies for satellite broadband: Starlink, Eutelsat OneWeb's Indian unit, and Jio Satellite Communications. Sometimes an Indian company holds majority shares. Bharti Airtel does this in OneWeb's Indian arm. Jio Platforms does this in its joint venture with the Luxembourg-based firm SES. However, the underlying satellite network itself often remains under foreign technical control. Equity ownership does not always mean operational control of the network. This is the central risk this sector faces. In navigation, NavIC needs a minimum of four functioning satellites. These satellites provide standalone positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) signals without outside help. …
Which of the following companies are currently licensed to provide satellite communications services in India?
1.Starlink
2.Eutelsat OneWeb's Indian unit
3.Jio Satellite Communications
4.Amazon Kuiper
Select the correct answer using the code below:
Match the following entities with the service or system they are primarily associated with:
A.National Payments Corporation of India
B.National Informatics Centre
C.Centre for Development of Advanced Computing
1.BOSS operating system
2.MeghRaj
3.UPI
A satellite navigation constellation requires a minimum number of satellites to provide standalone positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) signals without depending on another country's system. What is this minimum number?
With reference to the Eutelsat OneWeb satellite network, consider the following statements:
1.The French government holds a stake in Eutelsat.
2.The British government holds a stake in Eutelsat.
3.Majority Indian shareholding in OneWeb's Indian subsidiary gives India full control over the satellite network.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
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