New Delhi: Elon Musk’s satellite internet venture Starlink has moved a step closer to officially launching its services in India. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has issued a Letter of Intent to the SpaceX-owned company, signaling progress toward formal regulatory approval, according to a report by news agency PTI.
Starlink, which delivers high-speed, low-latency broadband via a constellation of low-earth orbit satellites, aims to bring reliable internet connectivity to even the most remote parts of the country.
Government sources said that Starlink’s Letter of Intent follows similar ones granted to other players in the satellite internet space, including Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio Satellite Communications.
The development marks a shift in momentum for Starlink, which has been attempting to enter the Indian market since 2022 but faced opposition from local telecom giants like Airtel and Jio. Ironically, both companies have since signed conditional agreements to partner with Starlink — pending government approval of its operations in India.
Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw briefly welcomed Starlink earlier this year with a social media post that was later deleted. “Starlink, welcome to India! Will be useful for remote area railway projects,” he had written on X (formerly Twitter).
In a further sign of warming relations, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal met with a Starlink delegation last month. “Discussions covered Starlink’s cutting-edge technology platform, their existing partnerships, and future investment plans in India,” Goyal shared in a post.
If approved, Starlink’s entry could be transformative for India’s rural and underserved regions, providing reliable internet access where terrestrial infrastructure has been difficult to deploy.
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