| | NOVEMBER 20238Walmart is expected to meet its goal of procuring items worth $10 billion annually from India by 2027. "We feel confident about the goals that we have set forth, but we don't disclose specific numbers on progress," stated Andrea Albright, Walmart's executive vice president. Based on the company's yearly exports of over $3 billion, India is already one of the world's leading retailer's top sourcing destinations. Since its launch this year, hundreds of Indian merchants have joined Walmart Marketplace, and the business reports that many of them have experienced double-digit growth.Major differentiators for India include the size of the workforce, the range of category coverage, and the price point being "very competitive", Albright said. "Everything from food to antibiotics, drug manufacturing, toys, apparel, and home, it is such a breadth of categories and that's quite unique to have in one country", she said.Walmart announced in December 2020 that by 2027, it will treble its annual exports of goods from India to $10 billion. In an effort to accelerate the fulfillment of this commitment, the US company will shortly open applications for its first growth summit in India. This event will provide a business pitching opportunity for export-ready suppliers, micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), cross-border trade suppliers, and creative supply chain companies.Numerous Walmart customers from the US and India will convene at the summit to assess the products being offered for export, with buyers providing in-the-moment bargains and opportunities based on their actual experiences. The summit is slated to take place in Delhi on February 14­15, 2024. WALMART EXPECTS TO REACH $10 BILLION REVENUE IN INDIA BY 2027STARLINK SECURES LICENSE TO OPERATE IN INDIAIN FOCUSIN FOCUSThe government is satisfied with Elon Musk's Starlink's answers on data storage and transfer regulations, therefore the company will be allowed to begin providing voice and data communication services from space in the nation. Starlink appears to have provided us with satisfactory responses to our questions. The business will receive a global mobile personal communication via satellite services (GMPCS) permit to provide services once the security inspection is finished.Starlink, a SpaceX company, will be able to provide phone, messaging, and satellite broadband services to businesses and consumers thanks to the licence. Starlink had previously informed the government that it would adhere to international standards for data storage and transfer because its constellation was global in scope. The Indian government, which insisted that Starlink adhere to Indian regulations on data storage, rejected this stance.Since the company will hold a licence in India, data must be housed there. The business has now consented to comply. At the time of going to press, Starlink had not responded to a question about its submission to the Indian government. After OneWeb, funded by Bharti, and Reliance Jio's satcom division, Starlink will become the third company to receive a GMPCS licence if it receives approval.The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has received an application for a licence from Jeff Bezos's Amazon, but the government has not yet taken it up for consideration. The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe), an autonomous space regulator, must also grant approval to satcom service providers. IN-SPACe now has the authority to function as a single-window agency to authorise the whole range of space activities by both government and private satellite communication companies, thanks to India's new Space Policy 2023.
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