The DoT statement comes as a blow to Starlink, the satellite broadband arm of billionaire Elon Musk-led SpaceX, which is upbeat about its Indian market plans, and had started taking pre-bookings for satellite broadband services.
The government on Friday said Starlink Internet Services is not licensed to provide satellite-based internet services in India and advised the public not to subscribe to services that may be advertised in the country by an Elon Musk-backed company without the required license. Used to be.
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) also asked Starlink to adhere to the regulatory framework for offering satellite-based communication services and refrain from booking/rendering satellite internet services in India “with immediate effect”.
DoT clarified that the company “must obtain a license before offering satellite-based services”.
It has been learned that Starlink has commenced pre-selling/booking of satellite based Starlink Internet services in India, the department said in a statement.
This is also evident from Starlink’s website, wherein satellite-based internet services can be booked by users in the Indian region, the DoT noted.
“The Department of Telecommunications, Ministry of Communications, Government of India has informed that ‘Starlink Internet Services’ is not licensed to offer satellite based Internet services in India which is being advertised to the public,” the statement said.
The requisite license from the government is required to provide satellite based services in India.
“It is informed to the public that the said company has not obtained any license/authorization for providing satellite based internet services being booked on its website,” the statement said.
Noting that Starlink is not a licensee, “the public is advised not to subscribe to the Starlink services being advertised”, it added.
The DoT statement comes as a blow to Starlink, the satellite broadband arm of billionaire Elon Musk-led SpaceX, which is upbeat about its Indian market plans, and had started taking pre-bookings for satellite broadband services.
The company aims to launch broadband service in India with 2 lakh active terminals from December 2022, subject to government approval.
Starlink country director for India Sanjay Bhargava had earlier said in a social media post that pre-orders from India have crossed 5,000 and the company is keen to work in rural areas to provide broadband services.
The company’s services will compete with Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea in broadband and will be a direct competitor to Bharti Group-backed OneWeb.
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