After nearly three years of regulatory delays and a false start, Starlink has officially received a license from India’s Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to provide satellite internet services in the country. This long-awaited approval marks a major milestone for the SpaceX subsidiary as it moves closer to launching commercial operations in one of the world’s largest and fastest-growing internet markets.
The Starlink license follows a letter of intent issued last month, and DoT sources say the company will be granted trial spectrum within 15 to 20 days of applying for it. However, Starlink must still meet India’s stringent national security and data localization requirements before launching full-scale services. (via NDTV)
These include enabling lawful interception capabilities, establishing domestic ground infrastructure, and obtaining clearances from India’s space regulator, In-SPACe.
Starlink began its push for entry into India back in 2022, but its progress was repeatedly stalled by national security concerns, regulatory hurdles, and evolving government policies on foreign satellite communications.
In January 2022, the Indian government directed Starlink to refund all pre-orders and stop accepting new ones until it secured the appropriate licenses. Customers who had paid a $99 deposit were informed via email that refunds would be processed promptly, with the timeline for when the service would finally launch still up in the air.
Starlink’s path into the Indian market was bolstered earlier this year when it signed distribution agreements with Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel, India’s two largest telecom providers. These partnerships are expected to bring Starlink terminals into thousands of retail outlets, helping accelerate deployment once commercial operations begin.
Specific pricing has not yet been disclosed, but it will likely be amongst the most affordable offered by Starlink as India is known for having some of the world’s lowest mobile data prices.
