Starlink set to launch services in India following final regulatory approval

India is poised to welcome Starlink, a multinational provider of satellite communication (satcom) services. For several years, the company has been seeking licences from the Indian government, an effort that had yet to succeed until now. On 8 July 2025, Starlink, owned by Elon Musk's SpaceX, received the final regulatory approval required to operate in the country. Like other satcom providers in the Indian market, Starlink is subject to strict national security regulations.

The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe) granted its approval on 8 July 2025. With this, Starlink joins Jio-SES and Eutelsat OneWeb as the third satcom firm to be authorised by the relevant Indian authorities.

Starlink had already received the GMPCS (Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite) licence last month. With the latest IN-SPACe approval, the company can now roll out its services in India using its Gen 1 LEO (Low Earth Orbit) satellites. These satellites orbit the Earth and are capable of delivering data speeds of up to 600 Gbps. In total, there are 4,408 of these satellites in operation.

Notably, Indian telecom giants Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel have expressed their intention to collaborate with SpaceX. As part of this partnership, both companies will use their nationwide retail networks to distribute Starlink’s hardware to customers.

Starlink has not yet announced its pricing for the Indian market. However, now that all the necessary approvals have been secured, an announcement is expected soon. The final step involves the Indian government declaring spectrum pricing and outlining the allocation process. At present, satcom operators are expected to receive spectrum through an administrative allocation model, although this process has not yet commenced.