The rollout of Elon Musk's Starlink internet service in India may take time, as key regulatory and infrastructure approvals are yet to be secured. Dr. CS Pemmasani, Minister of State for Communications, told NDTV Profit that a launch within the next month appears unlikely.
“Starlink is yet to receive authorisation from IN-SPACe and must also establish Earth stations on the ground. The test spectrum still requires validation. So, it seems unlikely that services will begin within the next month,” he said.
The minister also refuted recent reports suggesting Starlink would charge Rs 3,000 per month for its services and Rs 33,000 for terminal kits. “Those prices are typical of developed markets. It's far too early to say what the final pricing in India will be,” Pemmasani said.
The government welcomes fair competition in the satellite communication (SATCOM) sector, which will spur innovation among both global and domestic players, he said.
His comments come as India prepares its regulatory framework for Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite services, with companies like Starlink, OneWeb, and Amazon's Project Kuiper eyeing the Indian market.
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