India has granted a license to Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet service, opening India’s “next frontier of connectivity”, according to the country’s communications minister.
The launch of Starlink, which provides high-speed internet access to remote locations using low-Earth orbit satellites, has sparked a fierce debate in India over issues ranging from predatory pricing to spectrum allocation.
Communications minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said he held a “productive meeting” with Gwynne Shotwell, president and chief operating officer of Starlink owner SpaceX.
Shotwell “appreciated the license granted to Starlink, calling it a great start to the journey”, the minister said late Tuesday on Musk-owned social media platform X.
It follows two of India’s largest telecom service providers, Jio Platforms and its rival Bharti Airtel, in March announcing deals with SpaceX to offer Starlink internet to their customers.
Analysts say that auctioning, which would likely be more expensive for all companies involved, could impact the economics of launching satellite internet services.
“The satcom market is a very competitive and difficult market to be profitable in”, said Gareth Owen, Associate Director at Counterpoint Technology Market Research.
“There are simply too many systems chasing a limited market opportunity. As a result, every satellite operator will do whatever they can to impede or delay the entry of a competitor.”
SpaceX owner Musk has butted heads with Asia’s richest man and Jio Platforms owner Mukesh Ambani over how the satellite spectrum should be awarded.
While Musk’s business interests in India are currently limited to X, the tech mogul’s electric vehicle maker, Tesla, is preparing its entry into the country.
Earlier in 2024, local media had reported that Musk’s satellite internet service, Starlink, would be granted permission to operate in India after complying with security regulations.
The potential launch of Starlink — with its network of low-Earth orbit satellites capable of providing internet to remote and disconnected locations — in the world’s most populous country has been accompanied by fierce policy debates and alleged national security concerns.
Scindia had said in November 2024 that India would allow the company to operate “as long as they’re complying with all the conditions from a security perspective”.
“They have to check all the boxes,” business newspaper Mint quoted Scindia.
The minister did not provide further details, but local media reported that the government and Starlink were in talks over several security-related issues, including the storage of data.
Starlink shot into the global spotlight when its terminals were sent to Ukraine following Russia’s 2022 invasion to aid battlefield communications.
© Agence France-Presse
