Musk's Starlink gets licence to offer satellite internet services in India

Business Standard

a day ago

The government has granted a licence to Elon Musk 's Starlink to operate satellite internet services in India, more than two years after the US-based company applied for it, officials in the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) said.
Starlink now officially joins Airtel-backed Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio Satellite Communications Ltd in India's satellite communications (satcom) race. The company can begin marketing its services and open customer registrations in India, they added.
The Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite (GMPCS) licence, required to offer satellite-based broadband services in India, was granted to Starlink exactly a month after it received a Letter of Intent (LoI) from the DoT on 7 May, officials said.
The company can now apply for trial spectrum to test its technology and is expected to receive allocation within 15–20 days of submitting its application. It was not immediately clear whether Starlink had also received the final clearance from the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe).
Amazon's Project Kuiper remains the last major satcom contender yet to secure a greenlight from the Indian authorities.
Starlink currently provides satellite internet services in over 125 countries through a constellation of more than 7,600 low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites operated by SpaceX, the aerospace and satcom company founded by Musk.
In April, Starlink received provisional registration from Pakistan's space regulator, with Islamabad expressing hope that full clearance would be granted by end-2025. In May, Bangladeshi telecom authorities issued the necessary licences to the company, following Bhutan's lead—it became the first country in the subcontinent to get Starlink connectivity in February.
In April, telecom majors Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio announced separate agreements with Starlink to distribute its equipment and services to their respective customer bases in India.
Currently the world's largest space-based communications network, Starlink has increasingly focused on providing services in developing and low-income countries. Earlier this week, it launched operations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Surge in action
Starlink's application for a GMPCS licence had been under review since November 2022. It was delayed due to the company's failure to comply with mandatory ownership disclosure norms regulated by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT).
The company had also clashed with Indian authorities over requirements that satcom licensees provide call data records to security agencies upon request and suspend services during national emergencies if directed by the government.
Last month, the DoT introduced a more stringent regulatory regime for satcom services in India, leading many industry analysts to write off Starlink's chances of gaining clearance in the near term.
The new security rules mandate separate clearances for each satellite gateway in India, localisation of all lawful interception capabilities, and special protocols to allow targeted services during periods of conflict.
However, in a surprise development, Starlink was granted the LoI just two days after the directive was issued, having committed to comply with all regulatory conditions. Two days later, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) released its long-awaited recommendations on pricing and allocation guidelines for satellite spectrum.
These recommendations have drawn criticism from telecom operators, who said the proposal to charge satellite spectrum at 4 per cent of adjusted gross revenue (AGR) is 'unjustifiably low' and 'based on incorrect assumptions'.
Operators argue that Trai's stance undermines competition and risks distorting the level playing field by favouring satellite firms while threatening the viability of traditional terrestrial services.