Elon Musk’s satellite internet venture Starlink has received provisional spectrum clearance from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to begin trial satellite broadband services in India, taking the company a step closer to commercial launch, sources aware of the development said.
With the trial spectrum in hand, Starlink will now build its ground infrastructure and conduct security compliance tests. The company plans to set up base stations at 10 locations, with Mumbai as the central hub.
Starlink has applied for an import license to bring in equipment, including landing station hardware, to set up its ground station in India, sources said, adding that Elon Musk’s company has outsourced the task of building the gateway in Mumbai to Equinix.
Starlink recently became the latest operator to secure a Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite (GMPCS) licence after fulfilling all security requirements under its Letter of Intent (LoI).
These rules mandate that all satellite communications must pass through Indian earth station gateways, and operators are barred from copying, decrypting, or routing Indian traffic outside the country.
Having accepted these conditions, Starlink is preparing a phased rollout starting with underserved regions, with commercial services expected by December 2025, subject to final spectrum allocation. The company has also tied up with the UIDAI to enable Aadhaar-based customer verification.
Starlink, already active in over 125 countries, has previously faced hurdles in India, including being directed in 2021 to refund pre-orders taken without approvals.
Meanwhile, the government is still finalising spectrum pricing and allocation terms. The Digital Communications Commission (DCC) will submit recommendations to TRAI, following which formal allocation will take place.
The issue of spectrum pricing remains contentious. On May 9, TRAI proposed that satellite providers, including Starlink, Eutelsat, OneWeb, and Jio Satellite, pay 4% of adjusted gross revenue (AGR) as usage charges. However, private telecom operators have opposed the proposal, and the government is yet to take a final call, Minister of State for Communications Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani told Moneycontrol on August 25.
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) in June granted Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio-SES joint venture Orbit Connect India a six-month extension, until November, to continue using provisional spectrum. This gives them more time to comply with the government’s new mandatory security guidelines issued in May 2025.
Both companies already hold GMPCS licenses, but must meet the revised security conditions before launching commercial services in India.
Starlink and Equinix are yet to respond to Moneycontrol queries.
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