Elon Musk says Starlink faces hurdles before India launch
SpaceX’s Starlink appears to be nearing the final stage of its preparations for launching satellite internet services in India, but some regulatory approvals are still pending.
Starlink founder Elon Musk highlighted the issue in a post on X, alleging that unnamed business interests were attempting to prevent the company from entering the Indian telecom market.
The company has already established several gateway facilities and secured key licences, but further regulatory clearances are required before commercial services can begin.
Musk’s comments followed a post highlighting India’s connectivity gap. The post cited government and industry figures showing that thousands of villages still lacked 4G coverage, while rural internet subscription levels remained considerably below those in urban areas.
It also pointed to the expansion of BharatNet’s fibre infrastructure while noting that the number of operational service points at Gram Panchayats remained below the total number made service-ready.
Starlink has been working with Indian authorities for several years to adapt its operations to the country’s regulatory and security requirements.
Speaking recently at the India Mobile Congress in Delhi, Starlink Business Operations Vice-President Lauren Dreyer said the company had spent the past five years engaging with regulators, telecom operators and industry stakeholders. She said Starlink was prepared to begin operations once the remaining Indian approvals were completed.