Elon Musk's SpaceX To Seek Approvals For Operating Starlink Satellite Internet Service In India: Report

Starlink, a satellite internet service operated by Elon Musk-owned SpaceX, is ready to seek approvals in India for starting its satellite-based internet services in the country.

Starlink, a satellite internet service operated by Elon Musk-owned SpaceX, is ready to seek approvals in India for starting its satellite-based internet services in the country, the media has reported. Musk's SpaceX is also set to seek statutory approvals from the central government for landing rights and market access, under the Starlink brand, says a report by news agency Reuters citing an Economic Times report.

This comes within 24 hours of Musk’s Starlink debuting in Japan, making it the first Asian country to get SpaceX’s satellite internet service. Starlink will tap into demand from mountainous areas and remote islands suffering from spotty or hard-to-access internet services, says a report in Nikkei Asia.

The Tesla CEO has set up his satellite-based Starlink service in Iran after protracted demonstrations there, after which the authorities imposed internet access restrictions last month.

Earlier in February, Starlink activated its internet services in the conflict-struck Ukraine amid reports of internet outages in the country. As per the civil society groups, there is a huge possibility of direct attacks on the internet infrastructure of Ukraine by Russia, causing internet outages. Ukrainian vice-president Mykhailo Fedorov asked the billionaire to provide internet services using Starlink stations in Ukraine "to address sane Russians to stand" on Twitter.

To recall, Starlink was asked by the Indian government late last year to stop pre-orders after the Centre’s Department of Telecommunications (DoT) warned citizens to not register for it as the company is yet to acquire a license. Earlier this year, the government asked Starlink to refund all its pre-orders until it received licences to operate in the country.

SpaceX began satellite launches in November 2019 and opened its $99 per month beta programme for select customers around a year later. Starlink registered its business in India in November last year and was in the process to apply for licenses in the country, as per Sanjay Bhargava, the India director for the company.