# Singtel seeks FDI nod to sell satellite bandwidth directly in India 2026-08-27T11:36:14+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Singapore-based telecom firm Singtel has applied for foreign direct investment (FDI) approval to sell satellite bandwidth directly to direct-to-home (DTH) service providers in India, industry sources said. The company currently provides satellite capacity to Dish TV through state-owned NewSpace India Ltd. Singtel said it has been serving a DTH provider in India for over 15 years via a designated government agency. Following recent changes to India's space policy allowing greater private sector participation, Singtel is seeking approvals for its Indian subsidiary, Singapore Telecom India Private Ltd, to supply capacity directly. Dish TV said it welcomes the policy shift and hopes Singtel obtains the necessary clearances. ## Indian Opinion Analysis The FDI approval Singtel seeks falls under India's liberalised space sector policy, announced in 2023, which opened satellite manufacturing and operations to private players. Until now, foreign satellite operators had to route bandwidth through Antrix Corporation or NewSpace India, the commercial arms of ISRO. If approved, Singtel's direct model could lower costs and reduce intermediation for DTH firms like Dish TV, which has over 15 million subscribers. The Department of Space and the Foreign Investment Promotion Board will decide on the application. A precedent exists: OneWeb, now part of Bharti Group, received FDI clearance for satellite broadband in 2021. The government's decision on Singtel will signal how far it is willing to open the space sector to foreign ownership. ## Coverage - telecom.economictimes.indiatimes.com Leads with industry sources and quotes both Singtel and Dish TV without editorial framing. This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: Dish TV, FDI, ISRO, NewSpace India, Singtel Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/singtel-seeks-fdi-nod-to-sell-satellite-bandwidth-directly-in-india/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/singtel-seeks-fdi-nod-to-sell-satellite-bandwidth-directly-in-india/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes. How this brief was made: an AI model read the report linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/