On Wednesday, India’s space regulatory body approved Starlink’s application to initiate commercial operations within the country, effectively removing the last regulatory barrier for the satellite internet provider’s market entry.
The company, founded by Elon Musk, has been awaiting the necessary licenses to operate commercially in India since 2022. Last month, Starlink received a significant license from India’s telecom ministry, but the final approval needed to come from the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe).
The newly issued license has a validity of five years, according to statements from IN-SPACe.
Reuters reported earlier in the day that sources had confirmed the licensing approval for Starlink from IN-SPACe.
With this license, Starlink becomes the third company to gain regulatory approval to operate in India’s satellite internet market, following Eutelsat’s OneWeb and Reliance Jio, which had received similar approvals previously.
Next, Starlink will need to obtain the necessary spectrum from the Indian government, establish its ground infrastructure, and conduct tests and trials to ensure compliance with the security regulations it has agreed to.
The process leading up to this approval saw Starlink and Mukesh Ambani’s Jio in a protracted discussion about how spectrum allocation for satellite services should be conducted. The Indian government ultimately supported Musk’s position that spectrum should be allocated rather than auctioned.
© Thomson Reuters 2025
