Starlink has cleared its last regulatory hurdle in India, earning final approval from IN‑SPACe to launch commercial satellite internet services—an official nod that marks a pivotal moment for Elon Musk’s venture and the country’s connectivity ambitions.
Five-year license granted: IN‑SPACe has authorized Starlink Satellite Communications Private Limited (SSCPL) to deploy and operate its Gen1 low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellation across India, with permissions running through July 7, 2030—or until Gen1 retires.
Satellite infrastructure unlocked: The 4,408-strong Gen1 network, orbiting at 540–570 km, can deliver up to 600 Gbps throughput—poised to bridge connectivity gaps in both rural and urban areas.
Spectrum allocation: Starlink has to obtain the necessary Ka/Ku band spectrum from India's Department of Telecommunications (DoT). India, however, opted for an administrative assignment rather than auctioning the spectrum, which suits Starlink's interest.
Ground infrastructure & testing: Next comes installation of terrestrial gateways, commencement of trial spectrum testing, and the necessary security clearances.
Compliance with regulations: Security and data-localisation provisions will be settled by IN-SPACe and the DoT prior to the service rollout.
Urban backup service: Urban users will take to Starlink as a solution requiring high-speed redundancy or special connectivity options.
Competitive pricing: Early reports indicate hardware should cost about ₹33,000 and monthly unlimited plans anywhere in the range of ₹3,000–4,200, targeting to be cheaper than urban broadband alternatives.
Starlink, being cleared last, is the third satellite internet service to be so, after OneWeb by Eutelsat and Reliance Jio - SES venture. Such a move underlines India's attempt to open the domain of space and satellite communications to private and international players under the 'Digital India' program.
Trial spectrum allocation: It is expected that the DoT will soon allocate the spectrum required for security-testing purposes.
Infrastructure ramping up: Building gateways and running the pilots.
Commercial launches: Possibly towards the end of 2025 or start of 2026, subject to spectrum, testing, and clearances.