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Starlink says its India network is built with every approval and ready to go
Elon Musk's satellite internet company said on Friday night that its gateways in India were set up with government clearances, as the row over its delayed launch rolled on.
Key points
- Starlink said it has worked with Indian regulators and operators for more than five years.
- It said its gateways and systems in India were built with the requisite government approvals.
- Spectrum will be assigned only after pricing is finalised and security checks are met, the government has said.
Starlink, the satellite internet company owned by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, said on Friday night that it had built its network in India with every government approval it needed and was ready to offer high-speed internet in the country.
“We have worked closely with regulators, industry and operators in India for 5+ years, and built a network of dedicated systems, gateways, and other infrastructure all in-country to exclusively serve Indian traffic safely and securely, and all with the requisite government approvals,” the company said in a post on X.
The statement came amid a public quarrel over why Starlink has not yet switched on service in India. Musk has accused powerful business interests of trying to keep it out and mocked Reliance chairman Mukesh Ambani as “Prime Minister Ambani”. Reliance said on Friday that it had “never feared competition” and that Jio’s own satellite service was also waiting for clearances.
Bharti Airtel chairman Sunil Mittal has argued that Eutelsat OneWeb, which his group backs, is well ahead of Starlink in the queue. “I applied five years back,” he said, adding that OneWeb still did not have permission to start commercial operations.
The Ministry of Communications has called suggestions of unfair treatment “baseless and misconceived”. Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia has said Starlink, Jio Satcom and Eutelsat OneWeb all hold satcom licences, but spectrum will be assigned only after a revenue-based pricing framework is settled and each operator clears security requirements. A licence on its own does not allow a company to start selling service.
TRAI and the Department of Telecommunications are reported to be close to a decision on how satellite spectrum will be priced.