Elon Musk’s Starlink has been granted a Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite (GMPCS) licence by India’s Department of Telecommunications (DoT), becoming the third satellite communications provider to receive such clearance after Eutelsat’s OneWeb and Reliance Jio, according to multiple media reports.
The approval follows Starlink’s compliance with all security conditions outlined in its letter of intent.
The licence marks a significant milestone for Starlink, which has been awaiting regulatory clearance for several years.
The company will now seek approval from the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (In-SPACe), which is required before it can begin providing commercial satellite broadband services in the country.
Provisional spectrum allocation will follow once In-SPACe grants its nod.
Commercial launch may still take time
Although the GMPCS licence clears a major hurdle, Starlink must complete several additional steps before launching services.
This includes setting up ground infrastructure such as three gateways and a Network Operations Centre (NOC), as well as complying with security mandates like lawful interception and the creation of a local command and control centre.
The entire process is expected to take at least nine months before they can begin commercial satellite communication services, Moneycontrol reported, citing sources.
Starlink had previously submitted the required undertakings and security-related documentation to align with the new licensing conditions.
Starlink’s local partnerships
Starlink has been actively forging partnerships to accelerate its rollout in India.
In a significant move in March, the satellite internet firm struck surprise agreements with the country’s two largest telecom operators — Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Jio Infocomm and Bharti Airtel — signalling a coordinated push to expand its presence.
The development came just days before India’s telecom minister, Jyotiraditya Scindia, publicly underscored the importance of satellite internet.
He highlighted its critical role in reaching remote areas and maintaining connectivity during natural disasters when conventional infrastructure like towers and fiber lines can fail.
Kuiper’s approval is still pending
Meanwhile, Amazon’s Kuiper, which plans a significantly larger presence in India with 10 gateways and two points of presence in Mumbai and Chennai, is still awaiting a decision on its GMPCS licence.
While it has met all regulatory and security obligations, its application remains under review and is expected to be discussed in the next inter-ministerial standing committee meeting.
Unlike Starlink, Kuiper has yet to establish satellite coverage over India, although it has launched 27 satellites as part of its global broadband initiative.
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