Elon Musk’s Starlink receives in-principle approval from India’s telecom ministry, clearing a major hurdle after years of deliberations and negotiations. The approval process involved examinations related to foreign investment, net worth, technical requirements, and ownership issues.
The company submitted a declaration regarding its ownership, addressing concerns related to stakeholders from countries sharing borders with India. One major issue was ensuring that the KYC details and customer information of Indian users would not leave the country. The government sought assurance that traffic over Indian airspace and waters would only terminate at a local gateway.
Starlink assured authorities that it had a solution to ensure data beams from satellites land in India and do not end up on foreign shores. Once the approval is granted by Communications Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Starlink will receive a global mobile personal communication by satellite (GMPCS) services license, required for offering satellite communication services in India. However, certain regulatory aspects regarding spectrum allocation and pricing are yet to be finalized by the regulator Trai.
