{"id":2429,"date":"2025-06-09T09:57:27","date_gmt":"2025-06-09T04:57:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/youdigital.pk\/en\/?p=2429"},"modified":"2025-06-09T08:24:17","modified_gmt":"2025-06-09T03:24:17","slug":"starlink-gets-green-light-to-operate-in-india","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/youdigital.pk\/en\/2025\/06\/09\/starlink-gets-green-light-to-operate-in-india","title":{"rendered":"Starlink Gets Green Light to Operate in India"},"content":{"rendered":"

ISLAMABAD: Elon Musk\u2019s satellite internet venture, Starlink, has secured a key operational license from India\u2019s Ministry of Telecommunications, according to Reuters sources.<\/strong><\/p>\n

This marks a significant breakthrough for Starlink\u2019s long-pending commercial entry into the South Asian market, although several regulatory steps remain before the service can officially launch.<\/p>\n

The licence approval follows years of delays and extensive discussions around national security compliance. Starlink now becomes the third satellite internet provider to receive such authorization in India, following approvals granted to Eutelsat\u2019s OneWeb and Reliance Jio.<\/p>\n

The development comes just months after Elon Musk\u2019s meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a U.S. visit, where Starlink\u2019s India ambitions and security-related conditions were key topics of discussion.<\/p>\n

Security Compliance and Additional Approvals Awaited<\/h3>\n

Despite the major progress, Starlink still has hurdles to cross. It must now obtain a separate operating licence from India\u2019s space regulator\u2014a process said to be in advanced stages.<\/p>\n

Additionally, the company will need to conduct rigorous security tests and technical trials to prove compliance with India\u2019s national standards.<\/p>\n

“This will take a couple of months at least and will be a rigorous process,” a source familiar with the matter said. Only after clearance from Indian security agencies will Starlink be allowed to commercially offer equipment and broadband services to customers.<\/p>\n

Interestingly, telecom giants Jio and Bharti Airtel have announced plans to stock Starlink hardware in their retail stores, indicating a collaborative approach on distribution\u2014even as they prepare to compete directly in broadband service offerings.<\/p>\n

India\u2019s Satellite Internet Market Heats Up<\/h3>\n

Starlink\u2019s progress coincides with a broader regulatory debate on how India manages satellite spectrum.<\/p>\n

Musk had previously clashed with domestic operators, notably Jio, over whether spectrum should be assigned or auctioned. The Indian government ultimately backed Musk\u2019s position.<\/p>\n

India\u2019s telecom regulator recently proposed that satellite service providers contribute 4% of their annual revenue to the government\u2014a figure some domestic players argue is too low and unfair.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, market analysts project India\u2019s satellite broadband industry will grow to $1.9 billion by 2030, attracting global players like Amazon\u2019s Kuiper, which is still awaiting its license.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

ISLAMABAD: Elon Musk\u2019s satellite internet venture, Starlink, has secured a key operational license from India\u2019s Ministry of Telecommunications, according to Reuters sources. This marks a significant breakthrough for Starlink\u2019s long-pending commercial entry into the South Asian market, although several regulatory steps remain before the service can officially launch. The licence approval follows years of delays …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":2430,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[1203,25,1099],"class_list":["post-2429","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology","tag-broadband","tag-india","tag-starlink"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/youdigital.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2429","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/youdigital.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/youdigital.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/youdigital.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/youdigital.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2429"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/youdigital.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2429\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2431,"href":"https:\/\/youdigital.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2429\/revisions\/2431"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/youdigital.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2430"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/youdigital.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2429"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/youdigital.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2429"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/youdigital.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2429"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}