Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia announced on Tuesday that the Indian government has officially granted a license to Starlink, the satellite internet venture founded by Elon Musk, to operate in India.
In a post on X, the minister shared details of his meeting with Gwynne Shotwell, President and COO of SpaceX. “”Had a productive meeting with Ms Gwynne Shotwell, President & COO of SpaceX, on India’s next frontier in connectivity. We delved into opportunities for collaboration in satellite communications to power Digital India’s soaring ambitions and empower every citizen across the country. With India’s digital revolution under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi, satellite technologies are not just relevant, they’re transformative. Ms Shotwell appreciated the license granted to Starlink, calling it a great start to the journey”.
Starlink, a division of SpaceX, provides high-speed broadband to underserved and remote regions using a constellation of low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites. Unlike traditional satellite services that rely on geostationary satellites positioned far from Earth, Starlink’s LEO satellites—currently numbering around 7,000 and expected to exceed 40,000—operate about 550 km above Earth, enabling faster and more reliable internet access.
India’s telecom sector has closely followed Starlink’s entry due to ongoing debates around spectrum allocation and pricing strategy. Earlier in March, Jio and Airtel, which together dominate over 70% of India’s telecom market, had announced collaborations with SpaceX to roll out satellite internet services.
With this move, Starlink becomes the third company to receive approval from the Department of Telecommunications, after Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio Satellite Communications. Amazon’s Kuiper project remains under review, awaiting regulatory clearances.
