American billionaire Elon Musk’s company, Starlink, is close to getting approval to operate in India, according to the country’s regulatory authorities. Starlink, which provides satellite-based broadband services, has accepted most of the conditions set by Indian regulators and has submitted the required documents, as reported by The Economic Times.
India’s space regulatory body, the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Center (IN-SPACe), has stated that the process to grant Starlink approval is in its final stages. Officials from IN-SPACe have confirmed to The Economic Times that the company has provided all necessary documents and details.
Once it receives approval, Starlink plans to launch its “broadband-from-space” service in India. Currently, a permanent committee of IN-SPACe is reviewing Starlink’s application. This committee includes officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Department of Space.
After IN-SPACe’s approval, Starlink will need additional clearances from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), including a service provider license and the required spectrum. According to sources, Starlink has applied for a Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite (GMPCS) license. While Starlink has agreed to most conditions of the license, some aspects are still under discussion.
One of the key agreements Starlink has made is regarding user terminals (satellite dishes). Under Indian law, users cannot move their terminals freely. These user terminals (dishes) are essential for connecting to Starlink’s satellite network, acting as the communication point between the user’s device and the satellite. While Indian authorities are still reviewing the geographical placement of these terminals, they have decided that users cannot move them independently.
Starlink has agreed to set up a network control and monitoring center in India. The company has also assured that data will not be routed through internet gateways in neighboring countries. Currently, Starlink does not have any gateways in India’s bordering countries, but if such gateways are established in the future, Indian data will not be routed through them.
Starlink has not agreed to setting up monitoring zones along India’s international borders or providing services in certain areas of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. The company has also informed the government that it will not monitor terminals or users outside India’s sovereign territory.
Under India’s telecom regulations, service providers must provide monitoring facilities to security forces and law enforcement agencies within 10 kilometers of international borders. The government will decide whether any exceptions can be made based on recommendations from security agencies before granting Starlink the GMPCS license.
Starlink has also expressed concerns that allowing users to move terminals freely could create serious security risks. To address this, India has modified its licensing conditions to ensure that users cannot move terminals without approval.
Apart from regulatory approvals, there is also competition between Starlink, Amazon’s Project Kuiper, and existing telecom companies like Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea regarding spectrum allocation. The telecom companies want the spectrum to be auctioned, while Starlink and Amazon prefer to get it without an auction.
According to The Economic Times, the Indian government has clarified that satellite communication spectrum will be allocated through administrative fees rather than auctions
