Starlink Applied Last, Security Clearance Pending For All 3 Satellite Internet Licensees: Government Sources

Starlink was the last of India's three satellite communication companies to apply for a licence and the last to submit its security compliance documents, government sources said on Friday. The remarks come a month after Elon Musk accused "certain oligarchs" of blocking the company's entry into India.

The sources said India welcomes every player in satellite communications and that customers would ultimately decide whose service to choose. "Customer is the king," an official said, adding that consumers would pick a provider based on price, value and the quality of what is offered.

Of the three companies that include Jio and OneWeb, Starlink applied last and received its licence last, sources said, but all three have been granted the licences. They described the application process as "completely transparent".

Next in the process, all three licensees have been asked to demonstrate their capabilities and meet security requirements. OneWeb, backed by Bharti Airtel, submitted its compliance documents first and Reliance-backed Jio second, with Musk's Starlink last, as per the sources.

Two steps thus remain before services can roll out at scale, officials said. The government has yet to decide on spectrum allocation and pricing, and all three players have yet to fulfil the security requirements. The sources said the ecosystem as a whole would benefit once both conditions are met.

The government's position follows a public spat with Musk in October. On October 7, Musk posted on X, "Unfortunately, we are being blocked by certain oligarchs in order to maintain their monopolistic chokehold on the Indian people."

The Ministry of Communications rejected the claim the following day. It said India has a "fair, non-discriminatory authorisation framework" for all telecom services, including satellite communication. "Under the terms and conditions of licence, every such licensee is required to demonstrate compliance with security conditions," the ministry said.

"A post is being circulated in social media regarding the fairness of India's regulatory framework for satellite communication services and suggesting that it is being applied in a discriminatory manner... As such, the suggestion that the framework or its application is unfair or discriminatory is baseless and misconceived," the ministry said.

Within hours, Musk hit back on X. "Starlink is licensed in over 165 countries and has spent five years complying with every single law and requirement of the government of India, so why still no license? Is Ambani the real boss of India?" he wrote, aiming at Mukesh Ambani's Reliance conglomerate, of which Jio is a part.

Minister of State for Communications Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani said at the time that the matter rested with the Ministry of Home Affairs and was not specific to any one company. "The Department of Telecom has issued licences to all satcom companies as well as provisional spectrum. Now the issue is pending with MHA for security clearance. As soon as it is cleared, they will get it. It has nothing to do with one company," Pemmasani told reporters on the sidelines of the India Mobile Congress.

Bharti Airtel chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal, whose group backs OneWeb, said his venture was also awaiting clearance. Jio Platforms managing director Akash Ambani declined to comment, saying he had not seen Musk's remarks.

Starlink has said it is ready to launch in India. Speaking at the India Mobile Congress on October 7, Lauren Dreyer, SpaceX's vice president for Starlink business operations, said, "We've built our Starlink operations specifically for India in recognition of Indian security requirements and other regulations, establishing controls at every layer for India, and keeping Indian user data within India."