NEW DELHI: India has officially granted a licence to Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet service, paving the way for the company’s entry into one of the world’s largest digital markets.
The move was hailed as a major step toward expanding high-speed internet access in remote and underserved regions across the country.
Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia announced the decision on Tuesday, stating that Starlink’s arrival would open India’s “next frontier of connectivity.” He also held a “productive meeting” with SpaceX President and COO Gwynne Shotwell, who reportedly welcomed the development as “a great start to the journey.”
Starlink, a subsidiary of Musk’s SpaceX, uses a constellation of low-Earth orbit satellites to deliver high-speed internet service, especially to rural and hard-to-reach areas.
The announcement comes amid a heated debate within India’s telecom sector regarding spectrum allocation and pricing policies.
Musk has previously clashed with Jio Platforms owner Mukesh Ambani, Asia’s richest man, over whether satellite spectrum should be auctioned or allocated administratively.
In March, both Jio Platforms and its rival Bharti Airtel announced partnerships with SpaceX to bring Starlink services to their customer base, signaling growing competition in the satellite internet space.
While Musk’s current ventures in India are limited to his social media platform X, his electric vehicle company Tesla is also preparing to enter the Indian market, potentially marking a broader expansion of his business empire in South Asia.
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