Starlink, Elon Musk‘s satellite internet venture, received final regulatory nod and began operations in India quietly, almost overnight. Starlink’s journey in India has taken a decisive turn as the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre granted its long-awaited approval. Stalled since 2022 due to regulatory hurdles, the company can now move ahead with its mission to provide satellite-based internet nationwide.
Last month, the company obtained a Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite licence from the Department of Telecommunications, quite recently it seems. Starlink now has IN-SPACe approval to operate its Gen1 satellite network in Indian airspace until July 7, 2030. The clearance includes specific spectrum bands for satellite communications.
Starlink can use uplink frequencies of 27.5–29.1 GHz and 29.5–30 GHz for ground stations, and downlink bands of 17.8–18.6 GHz utilizing right-hand circular polarization and 18.8–19.3 GHz utilizing left-hand circular polarization. Permitted bands for user connections span 14.0–14.5 GHz uplink frequencies with LHCP and 10.7–12.7 GHz downlink frequencies utilizing RHCP. Starlink now holds official rights to use specific frequencies for sending data via satellite across various regions in India.
Starlink operations are still far from full-scale implementation at present. The company still needs spectrum from the government and must establish ground infrastructure rapidly, and pass necessary testing with stringent security checks. It plans to build at least three major gateway stations nationwide, facilitating various services rather quickly with substantial investment.
Trial runs will start soon, and the Department of Telecommunications will likely allocate test spectrum to validate Starlink’s compliance with India’s stringent technical norms. The approval follows a protracted debate over satellite spectrum allocation policy that has been festering quietly beneath the surface for some time now. Starlink leaned towards administrative allocation, while major telecom players like Reliance Jio vehemently pushed for auctions. The government ultimately sided with Starlink’s approach.
Starlink has inked preliminary business deals with VSAT providers in India, says Moneycontrol, citing some fairly credible sources. Enterprise and government sectors have likely garnered initial attention before a broader push into the general consumer market gradually unfolds. Starlink now joins Eutelsat OneWeb and Reliance Jio as one of the few operators with full clearance to deliver satellite internet services in India.
