India’s Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has rejected allegations of bias in the approval process for Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet service, stating that all licensed satellite communication operators are subject to the same regulatory requirements.
The clarification follows Musk’s claim that unnamed “oligarchs” were blocking Starlink’s entry into India to protect their market dominance. The government described allegations of an unfair or discriminatory regulatory framework as baseless.
According to the DoT, security assessments are currently underway for all three licensed satellite communication providers: Starlink, Bharti Group-backed OneWeb and Reliance Jio’s satellite communications venture.
The department said all three operators are at broadly the same stage of the approval process. Once a company completes its security assessment, it can proceed to the next step of seeking spectrum allocation.
The government said these security requirements are intended to protect users and their data. No final timeline has been announced for the completion of the assessments.
Starlink has been preparing to enter the Indian market and has reportedly established ground infrastructure, including 20 gateway sites. However, it still requires the necessary clearances before launching commercial services.
The development highlights the regulatory and security challenges facing satellite internet providers as India prepares to expand connectivity, particularly in areas with limited access to conventional broadband networks.
