Smt. Sonali Nanda, Deputy Director in the Program Management and Authorisation Directorate at IN-SPACe (Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre), affirms the Indian startup industry's opportunities coming their way at the Convergence India Expo 2025 at Pragati Maidan, Bharat Madapam. She claims the body plans to utilize India's orbital resources to their optimum status, ensuring that foreign companies or people do not take them over.

She says, “ IN-SPACe is mindful of not depriving the nation of its satellite capacity; at the same time, we can’t allow foreign individuals or companies to take over India’s orbital resources.” The body envisions utilizing the resources of the space sector to their optimum capacity, but also being cautious not to allow foreign elements to take over India’s resources. 

Good Opportunity for Indian Startups 

India’s space sector is comparatively less populated by traditional business houses or business families as compared to the other sectors. This, coupled with the transparent and friendly approach of IN-SPACe, makes the case for Indian startups to vouch for leadership and innovation in this sector. 

For instance, recently, IN-SPACe has awarded an unutilized ISRO filing to an Indian startup, intending to make a communication satellite for that orbital slot. This shows the amount of trust and opportunity that Indian startups enjoy in India’s newly opened space sector. 

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A Boost to Private Investments 

Further addressing the panel regarding opportunities, Smt. Nanda says, “ IN-SPACe is willing to give more orbital slots exclusively to the non-government entities.” This would mark a new beginning in India’s space sector, where private investment has been nearly zero. This approach holds greater potential as private investments always come with a sense of accountability and responsibility reflected in the outcomes.

Hence, this statement by Smt. Nanda paints an exciting and appealing visual of India’s space sector shaping up in the coming times. 

Making ITU Filing Easy 

Smt. Nanda emphasizes that IN-SPACe is contemplating new ITU filings, noting that this can be a complex process. She articulates that IN-SPACe serves not only as a regulator but also as a facilitator in India’s satcom journey.  This would allow Indian businesses and startups to advocate for innovation in the Satcom domain, as it would relieve them from the challenges of filing and adhering to international requirements.

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Convergence India, 2025 

The 32nd Convergence India expo, held at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, emerged as a pivotal platform for shaping India's tech-driven future. This event not only showcased a vast array of networking opportunities but also hosted over 45 conference sessions featuring 220 speakers from both the public and private sectors. It brought together industry leaders, innovators, and government representatives to discuss emerging technologies and market trends.