Elon Musk’s Starlink clears final regulatory hurdle to enter India: Report

Elon Musk’s Starlink has received the final regulatory clearance needed to start commercial operations in India, news agency Reuters reported. The approval comes from the country’s space regulator, the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe), marking the last major hurdle in the company’s entry into the Indian market. Starlink, a satellite internet provider operated by Musk’s SpaceX, has been seeking commercial licences in India since 2022. While it secured an important permit from the Department of Telecommunications last month, it was still awaiting the green light from the Department of Space.  With this latest clearance, Starlink becomes the third satellite internet operator to receive regulatory nods in India, following approvals granted to Eutelsat’s OneWeb and Reliance Jio.  Before launching services, Starlink will now need to obtain spectrum allocation from the government, install ground-based infrastructure, and conduct trials to prove compliance with security protocols, Reuters reported.