India’s space regulator on Wednesday granted Starlink a licence to launch commercial operations in the country, clearing the only remaining regulatory hurdle for the satellite provider to enter the market.
The Elon Musk-led firm has been waiting since 2022 for licences to operate commercially in India. Last month, it received a key licence from India’s telecom ministry to launch, but has been waiting for a go-ahead from India’s space regulator.
Starlink’s licence is valid for five years, the country’s space regulator Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) said.
Reuters reported earlier in the day, citing sources, that Starlink had secured the licence from IN-SPACe.
Starlink would be the third company to receive India’s nod to enter the space, with India previously approving applications by Eutelsat’s OneWeb and Reliance Jio to provide services in the country.
Starlink will now need to secure spectrum from the government, set up ground infrastructure and also demonstrate through testing and trials that it meets the security rules it has signed up for.
Musk and billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Jio clashed for months over how India should grant spectrum for satellite services. India’s government sided with Musk that the spectrum should be assigned and not auctioned.
Starlink is also similarly engaged with Pakistan. In April, Federal Minister for Information Technology (IT) and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja had announced that Starlink services were expected to be operational by November or December this year in the country.
