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“Yes. License has been granted,” said the official with direct
knowledge of the matter at the department of telecommunications.
The official declined to be identified because the information
isn't public.
The approval comes at a time when Musk is embroiled in a public
spat with U.S. President Donald Trump, which threatens billions
of dollars' worth in contracts between Starlink and the U.S.
government.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Musk met in the U.S. in
February, when the two discussed the company's long-delayed
plans for India.
In March, Starlink signed agreements with India’s top two
telecom operators -- Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel -- to bring
the U.S. satellite internet giant’s services to the world’s most
populous country.
At least 40% of India’s more than 1.4 billion people have no
access to the internet. Cheap satellite broadband is needed to
bridge this gap, particularly in India’s vast remote and
mountainous rural areas.
The department of telecommunications recently approved a similar
license for Reliance Jio, the country’s biggest telecom service
provider owned by billionaire Mukesh Ambani.
The next phase for Musk’s company would be to secure a separate
approval from India’s space regulator and secure airwaves used
for telecommunications from the government, which may take at
least a couple of months.
The company would also need to showcase through testing and
trials that it meets local security rules which it has agreed to
while securing the license.
But the biggest challenge Musk’s company faces is pricing as
mobile data in India is among the world’s cheapest. Ambani’s Jio
once even provided it for free with mobile plans.
Starlink operates the world’s largest satellite constellation
with over 6,750 satellites currently orbiting Earth to provide
low-latency broadband, including to areas where internet
previously has been completely unavailable.
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