Elon Musk's Starlink gets govt nod to launch satellite internet service in India

Elon Musk’s satellite internet venture, Starlink, has received a key regulatory clearance from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Government of India, bringing it closer to launching its services in the country. With the approval of the Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite (GMPCS) licence, Starlink becomes the third company authorised to offer satellite-based internet in India, following Bharti Airtel-Eutelsat’s OneWeb and Reliance Jio.

The development was confirmed by Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, who said that the next step would be spectrum allocation, after which services could begin at scale. “Subsequently, satellite telecom services will be fully operational in the country at a rapid pace. I am sure the customer base in India will grow substantially,” Scindia said during a media interaction.

Starlink, operated by SpaceX, has been eyeing the Indian market since 2021 but had to halt its early efforts and refund pre-order payments due to regulatory hurdles. The latest clearance marks a renewed push into one of the world’s most promising satellite internet markets, where rival initiatives such as Amazon’s Project Kuiper are still awaiting approval.

Scindia highlighted the importance of satellite connectivity in bridging the digital divide, especially in remote and underserved areas where laying fibre or mobile networks is difficult. “Earlier, there was only fixed line. Today, there is mobile connectivity, broadband, and optical fibre. Along with these, satellite connectivity is also very important,” he said.

With the GMPCS licence in place, India’s satellite communications sector is set to accelerate, offering broadband-from-space through low-earth orbit satellite constellations and potentially transforming connectivity across the subcontinent.