Starlink Says Its India Network Is Ready: How Satellite Internet Is Approved and Regulated in India
Starlink, the satellite internet service of the US company SpaceX, said it has built its ground network in India with all the government approvals that were needed, and that it is ready to offer high-speed internet.
The company said it has worked with Indian regulators for more than five years. Earlier in October 2026 it said it had built 20 gateway sites (ground stations that connect satellites to the internet) with hundreds of antennas, so that Indian users' data stays inside India.
Starlink already holds a GMPCS licence from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), received in June 2025, and an authorisation from IN-SPACe (India's space regulator), received in July 2025.
Commercial service has still not started. Two steps are pending: the assignment of satellite spectrum (radio frequencies) with final pricing, and a final security clearance, which the Union government has said is with the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Reliance Industries, whose Jio satellite venture is also waiting for clearances, said it welcomes competition in satellite communication but that all players must follow Indian law. The Ministry of Communications has said the rules are fair and non-discriminatory, and that Starlink, Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio's satellite venture are at broadly the same regulatory stage.
Satellite Internet: How Low Earth Orbit Constellations Deliver Broadband
Satellite internet means getting internet from a satellite in the sky instead of from a cable or a mobile tower near your home. A small dish on your roof talks to a satellite. The satellite talks to a ground station, and the ground station is connected to the normal internet. Because the signal comes from space, it can reach a mountain village, a ship at sea or a border post where no cable or tower exists.
Starlink's 20 gateway sites in India are the ground half of its LEO system, built to meet the rule that Indian traffic must stay inside India. Its service still waits for the last two steps in India's approval chain: spectrum assignment with final pricing, and security clearance.
Telecommunications Act, 2023: From Licensing to Authorisation
The Telecommunications Act, 2023 is India's main law for telecom services such as mobile phones, internet and satellite communication. It replaced two very old laws, the Indian Telegraph Act of 1885 and the Indian Wireless Telegraphy Act of 1933. It decides who can run a telecom service, how radio spectrum is given out, how cables and towers can be laid, and what the government can do in an emergency.
Starlink's GMPCS permission and its future satellite spectrum both come under this Act. Because GMPCS is a First Schedule entry, its spectrum will be assigned administratively, and the final terms and pricing of that assignment are one of the pending steps before it can start service.
IN-SPACe: Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre
IN-SPACe, the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre, is the government body that allows and supports private companies to do space activities in India. It works under the Department of Space as a single-window, autonomous agency. Any non-government company that wants to build rockets, launch or run satellites, or offer satellite services over India must get its permission. It also helps these companies use ISRO's labs, test centres and launch pads.
Starlink's statement that it has the "requisite approvals" refers partly to IN-SPACe's July 2025 authorisation, which allows its constellation to serve India. That space-side approval is complete, but it does not by itself let Starlink sell internet; the telecom spectrum and security steps are separate.
- Starlink: GMPCS licence from DoT in June 2025; IN-SPACe authorisation in July 2025
- Starlink has built 20 gateway sites in India with hundreds of antennas
- Pending steps: satellite spectrum assignment with final pricing, and security clearance (with the Ministry of Home Affairs)
- Three licensed satcom players awaiting launch: Starlink, Eutelsat OneWeb, Jio's satellite venture
- TRAI (May 2025): spectrum charge of 4% of AGR, 5-year term extendable by 2 years
- Telecommunications Act, 2023: satellite spectrum (including GMPCS) assigned administratively under the First Schedule
- GEO altitude: about 35,786 km; Starlink LEO altitude: about 500 to 550 km
- IN-SPACe: formed June 2020, headquartered in Ahmedabad
- India's space economy target: $44 billion by 2033