Centre grants license to Starlink to operate in India: Minister

Starlink provides high-speed internet access to remote locations using low Earth orbit satellites.

Communications minister Jyotiraditya Scindia announced on Tuesday that the central government had granted Starlink, the Elon Musk-founded internet technology company, a license to operate in India.

Jyotiraditya Scindia with SpaceX officials.(X)

"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," he wrote on X.

Starlink provides high-speed internet access to remote locations using low Earth orbit satellites. Its proposed launch has sparked fierce debate in India over issues ranging from predatory pricing to spectrum allocation.

In March, two of India's biggest telecom operators – Jio and Airtel – announced partnerships with SpaceX to offer Starlink internet to their customers. The two companies dominate the Indian telecom market with a share of over 70 per cent.

Starlink is the third company after Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio Satellite Communications to get a licence from the Department of Telecommunications to provide satellite internet services in the country. A fourth applicant, Amazon's Kuiper is still waiting for approvals.

Starlink was developed by SpaceX -- the American aerospace manufacturer and space transportation company founded in 2002 by the world's richest man, Elon Musk.

How does Starlink work?

Unlike conventional satellite services that rely on distant geostationary satellites, Starlink utilises the world's largest low Earth orbit or LEO constellation (550 km above Earth).

This constellation of LEO satellites (7,000 now but eventually set to grow to over 40,000) and its mesh delivers broadband internet capable of supporting streaming, online gaming, and video calls.

With inputs from PTI