The path for the American company Starlink to enter the Indian market appears difficult. The Indian government has made it clear that the company must adhere to all regulations; otherwise, entry will be challenging. According to sources, an official stated that Starlink has not yet received approval to launch its services in India because it is not prepared to comply with all the required regulations.
Starlink has yet to receive authorization to launch its services in India. A senior government official stated on Wednesday that Starlink has refused to comply with the mandate requiring satellite internet service providers to establish infrastructure within the country. This serves as a firm message to billionaire Elon Musk: if he wishes to conduct business in India, he must abide by the law.
Starlink must comply with all regulations.
According to sources, if the company addresses security concerns and agrees to establish a local base station before offering services in India, the government would have no objections. A base station acts as a radio transmitter and receiver—a local hub or “first hop”—that connects a user’s device to the wireless network. Requiring the installation of such a base station will help authorities ensure that legal requirements are being met.
Three companies are planning to launch satellite communication services in India.
Eutelsat OneWeb (backed by Sunil Bharti Mittal), Reliance Jio (owned by Mukesh Ambani), and Starlink (owned by Elon Musk) are the three entities planning to launch satellite communication services in India.
Sunil Mittal has also sent a message to Musk.
Notably, Sunil Bharti Mittal, Chairman of Bharti Enterprises, has also sent a message to Musk, cautioning him not to expect any exemptions from the law. He mentioned that Airtel’s Eutelsat OneWeb satellite service could get approval ahead of Starlink, given that its approval process has reached an advanced stage.
The application was submitted about five years ago. He added that he would be very pleased if it received approval even just a few days before Starlink.
