Starlink Satellite Internet Could Soon Get Licence to Operate in India

Starlink, the satellite-based global Internet service provider operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, is one step closer to launching in India following a highly publicised but unsuccessful attempt in 2021. Union Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia has confirmed that the company is in the process of complying with Indian regulations. Suggesting that there will be no exceptions to the rules, Scindia also said a licence can be granted after all requirements have been met.

The compliance process will involve showing that security and data localisation concerns have been addressed, according to a report by Moneycontrol. Although Starlink has reportedly agreed to these conditions in principle, the formal process still needs to be completed.

Elon Musk recently praised the Indian government’s indication that it would allocate satellite communications spectrum through administrative decisions rather than holding an auction, while competitor Reliance Industries has opposed this move, as it prepares its own JioSpaceFiber satellite Internet service. 

Starlink currently maintains a constellation of around 7,000 satellites in orbit around the Earth, with plans to grow that to over 12,000. 

In 2021, Starlink had announced plans to launch in India, and Musk himself had said it was “figuring out regulatory approvals”. Starlink opened an Indian subsidiary in November 2021, owned 100 percent by SpaceX, and began accepting pre-registrations. In January 2022 it was forced to refund customers after the Department of Telecom issued a warning not to operate without a licence. The company’s Country Director, Sanjay Bhargava, resigned at the same time, after having previously projected a a launch by April 2022 and 200,000 active connections by December that year. 

The company had stated it would focus on bringing broadband connectivity to underserved rural areas, with an initial focus on 10 Lok Sabha constituencies. It is not known whether the company currently has similar plans and targets.