Starlink Says Talks With India Ongoing, Denies Approval Freeze Reports
Starlink has already secured a licence to offer satellite broadband services in India and has established ground infrastructure to meet regulatory and enforcement requirements
New Delhi: Elon Musk-led Starlink on Wednesday rejected the media reports which claim that the approval process of Starlink operation in India is on hold due to security reasons. The satellite firm, however, clarified that Starlink continues to be in active discussion with the Indian government and has received encouraging feedback on its capabilities to advance India's connectivity goals, a senior Starlink official said.
The satellite broadband services provider’s comments came in response to media reports that said India had effectively frozen approvals for Starlink's commercial launch over concerns related to the use of its satellite terminals during the Iran conflict. Starlink has already secured a licence to offer satellite broadband services in India and has established ground infrastructure to meet regulatory and enforcement requirements. The company is now awaiting final approval, including spectrum allocation, before launching services.
“Starlink remains in active and productive discussions with the Government of India contrary to misleading stories based upon unsubstantiated claims from anonymous sources. We have worked with the government through all of the required regulatory and compliance processes in a transparent and responsible manner,” Lauren Dreyer, vice president of Starlink Business Operations, said in a post on X.
Besides Starlink, the government has issued licences to Bharti Group-backed Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio-SES Space Technology Ltd. All three companies are awaiting spectrum allocation before rolling out services. As required under Indian regulations, all user traffic on Starlink's network will be routed exclusively through ground infrastructure established within the country.
“We have heard nothing but encouraging feedback on Starlink's capabilities and its potential to advance India's connectivity ambitions, especially in remote and underserved regions. We remain fully committed to India and to working with the government to bring Starlink's services very soon to the country,” Dreyer said.
The vice president also said that Starlink had completed all required regulatory and compliance processes and had developed a country-specific operating model to meet India's security and regulatory requirements. “Starlink has set up a "bespoke deployment model for India" to align with the country's sovereign technology, regulatory, and security requirements,” she said.
Starlink is SpaceX's satellite broadband service, designed to provide high-speed internet connectivity through a constellation of thousands of low-Earth orbit satellites. “To align with India's sovereign technology, regulatory and security requirements, Starlink has set up a bespoke deployment model for India that further demonstrates our commitment to working within India's strategic framework,” she added
