Centre grants license to Starlink to function in India: Minister

Jun 18, 2025 10:30 AM IST Starlink offers high-speed web entry to distant areas utilizing low Earth orbit satellites. Communications minister Jyotiraditya Scindia introduced on Tuesday that the central authorities had granted Starlink, the Elon Musk-founded web expertise firm, a license to function in India. Jyotiraditya Scindia with SpaceX officers.(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 offers high-speed web entry to distant areas utilizing low Earth orbit satellites. Its proposed launch has sparked fierce debate in India over points starting from predatory pricing to spectrum allocation. ₹33,000, information plan at ₹3000: Starlink’s India plan”>Also learn: Satellite for ₹33,000, information plan at ₹3000: Starlink’s India plan In March, two of India’s greatest telecom operators – Jio and Airtel – introduced partnerships with SpaceX to supply Starlink web to their clients. The two corporations dominate the Indian telecom market with a share of over 70 per cent. Starlink is the third firm after Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio Satellite Communications to get a licence from the Department of Telecommunications to offer satellite tv for pc web providers within the nation. A fourth applicant, Amazon’s Kuiper remains to be ready for approvals. Starlink was developed by SpaceX — the American aerospace producer and area transportation firm based in 2002 by the world’s richest man, Elon Musk. How does Starlink work?Unlike typical satellite tv for pc providers that depend 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 however finally set to develop to over 40,000) and its mesh delivers broadband web able to supporting streaming, on-line gaming, and video calls. With inputs from PTI