Elon Musk's Starlink Agrees to Government's Security Norms: Report

As per the guidelines, a company operating in India must store data within the country and if necessary the company has to allow government access for security purposes.

In order to operate satellite-based internet services in India, Starlink has to acquire the Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite Services (GMPCS) license. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) requires companies to meet the guidelines before issuing the license.

As per the report, Starlink has agreed "in principle" to comply with these guidelines, although they are yet to submit its agreement on meeting the conditions.

Elon Musk's support for US-president elect Donald Trump may help his Starlink plans as Trump hinted at offering a role in his administration. Tesla CEO endorsed Donald Trump for President and also raised funds for his presidential campaign.\

Starlink applied for GMPCS license in October 2022 and also applied to Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe) for authorisation. IN-SPACe had asked Starlink for additional details for final approval. Another regulatory TRAI is working on finalising the allocation and pricing satellite spectrum, which are expected by December.

Indian telecom giants like Reliance Jio, Bharati Airtel and Vodafone Idea expressed concerns about Starlink and other global satellite providers. They say that satellite spectrum should be acquired through auctions whereas Starlink argues that satellite spectrum should be allocated administratively rather than auctioned.