Musk’s Starlink Might Begin Ops In India In A Few Months

India-West News Desk

NEW DELHI – Elon Musk’s Starlink has received a crucial license from the Indian government, bringing the satellite internet provider a significant step closer to launching its commercial services across the country, which may begin in two months, media reports say.

An Indian government official confirmed this development to The Associated Press on June 6, signaling a major stride for the company’s expansion in one of the world’s largest internet markets.

This approval comes as Musk faces a public dispute with President Donald Trump, a situation that reportedly jeopardizes billions of dollars in contracts between Starlink and the U.S. government. This marks a notable shift from previous instances where Musk had pulled back from Indian ventures, like Tesla, after seeking various concessions from the Modi government.

The groundwork for this approval was laid during a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Musk in the U.S. in February. Starlink inked agreements in March with India’s top two telecom operators, Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel after Reliance had also pushed back.

Starlink, the AP reported, still needs to secure a separate green light from India’s space regulator and acquire the necessary airwave allocations for telecommunications from the government.

Starlink also faces a formidable challenge in pricing. India is renowned for having some of the world’s cheapest mobile data rates, with even free data plans having been offered by providers like Ambani’s Jio in the past.