Starlink gets key nod from Indian govt for satellite internet services: Report

Elon Musk’s Starlink has reportedly cleared a key regulatory hurdle in India, receiving a Letter of Intent (LoI) from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to provide satellite internet services in the country. As reported by Moneycontrol, Starlink will be granted Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite (GMPCS), VSAT, and ISP licences, subject to full compliance with national security and infrastructure requirements.

A government source confirmed to Moneycontrol, “The LoI came after Starlink gave an undertaking to meet licence conditions and security protocols under the new revised guidelines… the final licence will be issued once all conditions are met.”

Security Protocols and Infrastructure Commitments

The LoI follows the government’s move to tighten regulations for satellite internet providers. These now include data localisation, lawful interception, gateway security clearance, and local manufacturing mandates. Starlink must also establish earth station gateways—essential for linking satellites with terrestrial networks—before commercial rollout.

Approval from IN-SPACe, India’s space authorisation body, is expected shortly, further paving the way for operations.

Distribution Partners and Rural Focus

In preparation for deployment, Starlink has signed agreements with Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel, who will distribute Starlink kits through retail channels, manage installations, and provide customer support. The focus will be on rural and remote connectivity, which traditional fibre and mobile networks struggle to serve.

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Affordability Concerns May Curb Adoption

Despite regulatory progress, analysts caution that Starlink’s high pricing could restrict its appeal to niche markets. The broadband service is 10–14 times more expensive than comparable offerings from Jio and Airtel, according to Moneycontrol, limiting its viability among price-sensitive consumers.

Minister of State for Communications Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani addressed these concerns on 6 May, saying, “People are scared they will take away the market... that is not true. This is mainly for remote areas and inside homes.”

Crowded Satellite Internet Landscape

With this move, Starlink joins players like OneWeb, Eutelsat, and the Jio-SES joint venture in India’s growing satellite internet sector. Meanwhile, Amazon’s Project Kuiper is still awaiting its LoI.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is expected to soon announce spectrum pricing guidelines, which could accelerate commercial rollouts across the sector.