Starlink Gets Approval to Launch in India!

According to reports, the Department of Telecom has given Elon Musk’s Starlink permission to launch and run its satellite internet services in India.

According to reports, the Indian government has given Elon Musk’s Starlink permission to run its satellite internet services there. Moneycontrol reported that the Department of Telecom (DoT) has granted Starlink the Letter of Intent (LoI). The corporation has not yet received the “final license,” which will be granted if “all licence conditions” are met, according to the report.

A government insider allegedly told Moneycontrol, “Yes, Starlink has received a letter of intent from the DOT for GMPCS, VSAT, and ISP licenses in India.” According to the source, “Once Starlink can fulfill all license conditions, the final license will be given.”

The abrupt drive for Starlink services in India, however, may also have a trade component, according to a Washington Post investigation. According to reports, Indian government officials acted swiftly to authorize Starlink’s entry into the Indian market because they believe it could pave the way for more extensive trade negotiations with the US. An Indian official told The Washington Post, “The Indian side sees this as an important lubricant that facilitates a deal, even though it’s not likely to be an explicit element of the trade negotiations with the US.” The launch of SpaceX’s services in India might be worth billions of dollars. According to reports, obtaining just 1% of India’s consumer broadband market could generate about $1 billion annually for SpaceX.

SpaceX will soon be able to showcase its services in India thanks to Starlink’s receipt of the LoI. Consider the satellite internet services offered by Starlink to be relatively comparable to those offered by OneWeb in India. In India, OneWeb already offers satellite broadband services, and Airtel owns a sizeable portion of the business. As a result, OneWeb offers satellite broadband services to communities and businesses, and Airtel uses OneWeb’s technology to provide its clients with satellite internet.

Earlier this year, Jio and Airtel both inked agreements with SpaceX’s Starlink to offer its services to Indian consumers in a similar endeavor. This agreement, which was made public in March 2025, was contingent on SpaceX obtaining the necessary authorizations to sell Starlink in the nation. which it has now.

When Jio announced its agreement with Starlink, it stated that it would provide Starlink services through its stores and online platforms as soon as SpaceX launches its services in India. Additionally, Airtel stated that it might offer Starlink’s services to companies and sell Starlink equipment in its stores.

SpaceX’s satellite internet project, Starlink, is to use a massive network of low-Earth orbit satellites to deliver high-speed internet. In contrast to conventional cable-based internet services, Starlink is made to provide dependable and quick internet connectivity in isolated and challenging-to-reach locations. To get around many of the problems that traditional broadband services experience, the service connects users to a constellation of satellites that transport data to and from Earth.

Jio and Airtel have stated that they intend to use Starlink’s technology to increase internet connectivity in remote locations without traditional infrastructure, such as schools and medical institutions in rural areas. Along with looking into ways for SpaceX to use Airtel’s telecom infrastructure in India, Airtel also intends to integrate Starlink into its present network.

Satellite-based internet from Starlink seems like a potential option for areas where setting up traditional broadband infrastructure is difficult, particularly in isolated or difficult-to-reach places. The service is currently operational in several nations and is working to increase its worldwide reach and performance by growing its constellation of satellites. Earlier this week, SpaceX launched Starlink services in Brazil.

When it opens in India, Starlink is planned to offer download speeds between 25 Mbps and 220 Mbps, with upload rates ranging from 5 Mbps to 20 Mbps. It is anticipated that latency will be between 25 and 50 ms, allowing for video conversations, gaming, and streaming.

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