Elon Musk's Starlink All Set to Get its First Licence in India: Reports

Elon Musk's satellite internet company Starlink is all set to receive its Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite (GMPCS) licence from the Indian government in the coming days, after agreeing to the conditions set by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and paying the statutory fees. The company, which reportedly first applied for the licence in 2022, received a Letter of Intent (LoI) from the DoT last month.

According to a new report by the Times of India (ToI), the Letter of Intent issued to Starlink on May 7 paved the way for the issuance of the GMPCS licence. The report stated that Starlink officials will be in Delhi in the coming days to sign the necessary documents.

The licence clearance marks a major breakthrough for the company, particularly as it also required security approvals from the Ministry of Home Affairs.

The government reportedly conducted a rigorous review of Musk’s satellite venture, laying down stringent security conditions — including the establishment of lawful interception mechanisms and a command-and-control centre within India. The company has aligned itself with the new licence terms and operational guidelines needed to launch services in the country.

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT), under the Ministry of Communications, is the authority that issues the Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite (GMPCS) licence. This allows companies to provide satellite-based communication services across India.

So far, only Jio Satellite Communications Ltd (JSCL) — a Reliance Jio joint venture with Luxembourg’s SES — and Eutelsat OneWeb, backed by Bharti Enterprises, have been granted GMPCS licences.

The next key step for Musk’s satellite company is to secure authorisation from IN-SPACe (Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre), which is responsible for approving satellite operations on Indian territory.

According to the ToI report, the company’s IN-SPACe application is in its final stages and is likely to receive approval from the inter-ministerial standing committee shortly.

These developments follow the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI)’s May 9 recommendations to the DoT regarding spectrum allocation and charges applicable to satellite communication providers. The government is now in the process of finalising rules for spectrum allotment to satcom companies.