Summary
- Starlink has secured a GMPCS license from India’s Department of Telecommunications, enabling it to offer satellite internet services across the country.
- It becomes the third company licensed in India for satellite broadband, following OneWeb and Jio-SES.
- The service aims to bridge the digital divide in remote and underserved regions, where traditional internet infrastructure is limited.
- Regulatory steps remain, including approvals from IN-SPACe, spectrum acquisition, and national security compliance before launch.
- India’s satellite internet market is projected to reach $1.9 billion by 2030, making Starlink’s entry a major move in a rapidly growing sector.
After a prolonged wait, Starlink becomes the third satellite internet provider licensed in India, joining OneWeb and Jio-SES, with plans to bridge the digital divide in underserved regions.
Elon Musk’s satellite internet venture, Starlink, has received a crucial license from India’s Department of Telecommunications (DoT), bringing the company closer to launching its commercial services in the country.
This approval positions Starlink as the third entity to obtain such a license in India, following Eutelsat’s OneWeb and the Jio-SES partnership. The license, officially termed the Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite (GMPCS) permit, allows Starlink to offer satellite-based broadband services across the nation.
The journey to this milestone has been protracted, with Starlink awaiting regulatory clearance since 2022. Delays were attributed to national security concerns and debates over spectrum allocation methods. Notably, India’s government sided with Starlink’s preference for administrative spectrum assignment over auctions, a stance that had been a point of contention with domestic telecom operators.
In March, Starlink signed agreements with India’s leading telecom operators, Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel, to distribute its equipment, signaling collaborative efforts to enhance internet connectivity in the country.
Despite securing the license, Starlink must still obtain additional approvals from India’s space regulator, acquire spectrum licenses, and undergo rigorous security testing before commencing operations. These steps are anticipated to take several months.
The introduction of Starlink’s services is poised to significantly impact India’s digital landscape, particularly in remote and underserved areas where traditional internet infrastructure is lacking. With over 40% of India’s 1.4 billion population lacking internet access, satellite-based solutions like Starlink’s could play a pivotal role in bridging this digital divide.
As the satellite internet market in India is projected to reach $1.9 billion by 2030, Starlink’s entry intensifies competition, challenging existing players and attracting global entities like Amazon’s Project Kuiper, which is still awaiting approval to operate in the country.
Starlink’s expansion into India underscores the growing importance of satellite internet services in achieving global connectivity goals, especially in regions where conventional infrastructure development faces challenges.
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