Satellite internet India: Starlink says it is ready after years working with regulators

Starlink said on Friday that it had spent more than five years working with Indian regulators. The SpaceX unit said it had also built local infrastructure with government approvals. The company added that it was ready to offer high-speed internet in India. The statement came on X during a wider dispute on satellite internet competition.

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The post also referred to a Reliance Industries statement issued earlier on Friday. Reliance said it welcomed competition, including from Starlink, but stressed legal compliance. The exchange followed recent comments by Elon Musk about India’s satellite communications market. The debate has centred on approvals, pricing, and claims about business influence.

Starlink India regulators approvals and infrastructure

Starlink wrote on X: "We have worked closely with regulators, industry and operators in India for 5+ years, and built a network of dedicated systems, gateways, and other infrastructure all in-country to exclusively serve Indian traffic safely and securely - and all with the requisite government approvals.\" Starlink also said it was ready to connect India with high-speed internet.

Government sources had earlier said companies must follow Indian law to operate. They said the Centre’s view remained consistent for all firms. \"Governments position has been very clear, and was so even at the time they had applied, that if you dont follow Indian laws, you cannot do business here...So to do business here, you have to follow Indian laws, sources had said earlier this week.\"

Starlink Reliance Industries competition and Indian laws

In its first direct response to Musk’s recent remarks, Reliance said it was placing facts on record. \"At Reliance, we have never feared competition. We see it as the truest test of who serves the customer best, the company said in a statement.\" The group said every firm, including Jio, must follow India’s laws and policies.

Reliance pointed to Jio’s earlier growth after entering telecom in 2016. It said Jio began with no customers and built scale quickly. \"Jio entered Indias crowded telecom market in 2016 as the newest player, with not a single customer, and in a matter of just ten years, earned the trust of over 530 million customers, offering Indians some of the best digital infrastructure and most affordable data in the world, it said.\"

Reliance added: \"We welcome competition in satellite communications, including Starlink. Every player, Jio included, must serve the people of India and abide by the laws and policies of the land, Reliances statement said.\" It also linked India’s investment climate to rules. \"Like every Indian enterprise, Reliance has grown in an India that welcomes investment and innovation, homegrown or international, that improve the lives of the people. That openness rests on the rule of law, it said.\"

Starlink licences spectrum security and DoT TRAI

The Ministry of Communications rejected claims that rules were unfair or discriminatory. It described such suggestions as baseless and misconceived. The government said operators must meet the same conditions before commercial services. These include security checks and spectrum allocation requirements for satellite broadband offerings.

Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said three ventures had secured satcom licences. These were Starlink, Jio Satcom and Bharti-backed Eutelsat OneWeb. Scindia said Amazon’s Project Kuiper showed interest but must follow procedure. Scindia also said spectrum would come after revenue-based charges were finalised and security needs were met.

Scindia said the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India TRAI and the Department of Telecommunications DoT were close to a pricing decision. The key issue has been the gap between a licence and operational approval. A licence alone does not allow commercial launch. Spectrum assignment and security conditions remain required steps for operations.

Starlink Bharti Airtel Sunil Mittal OneWeb queue for India

At the Bloomberg New Economy Forum 2026, Bharti Airtel Chairman Sunil Mittal compared timelines for approvals. \"I think I am significantly ahead in the queue from him. I applied five years back, Mittal said. We dont have the permission, so well be very happy to get it at least a few days before him.\" Mittal said OneWeb’s ground network was ready for three years.

Mittal also said OneWeb’s satellites had been over India for five years. Despite this, Mittal said the company still awaited permission for commercial operations. The comments added to public debate over regulatory clearances. They also followed Musk’s posts that accused powerful business interests of delaying Starlink’s entry into India.

Starlink Musk Reliance and allegations on satcom competition

Musk used X to criticise parts of India’s satellite communications landscape. Musk also targeted Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani in posts. Musk sarcastically called Ambani \"Prime Minister Ambani\" and questioned influence versus Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Musk alleged some groups aimed to keep a monopolistic chokehold on consumers.

Reliance said the government applied the same process to every applicant. Reliance added that Jio’s own satellite services still awaited clearances. The broader dispute has focused on how quickly different operators can move from licence to launch. It has also raised questions on how spectrum pricing and security checks get finalised.

Starlink Jio Platforms IPO and satellite plans

The timing also mattered for Reliance because of the planned Jio Platforms initial public offering. Jio set a price band of Rs 1,065 to 1,119 a share. The offer covered up to 27 crore new shares, around 3 per cent of existing capital. There was no offer-for-sale component in the plan.

At the top end, the IPO aimed to raise about Rs 30,213 crore. That was ahead of Hyundai Motor India’s Rs 27,870 crore share sale in October 2024. The pricing implied a market value near Rs 10.3 lakh crore. That was below the roughly Rs 11 lakh crore earlier reported as a target.

Bidding was set for October 21 to 23, with anchor bidding on October 19. The shares were expected to begin trading on October 28. Reliance has also been developing satellite plans, including a proposed constellation of about 1,600 low-earth-orbit satellites. The plan aimed to extend connectivity to 600,000 villages.

The planned rollout would put Jio in closer competition with Starlink in remote regions. Satellite broadband is seen as useful where land networks remain weak. Reliance and SpaceX had also signed an agreement last year. The deal explored bringing Starlink services to Indian customers through Jio’s retail network.

Starlink’s latest comments and Reliance’s response kept focus on how India will manage satellite broadband entry. Regulators have said all operators face the same steps, including spectrum assignment and security checks. With multiple firms awaiting operational clearances, the next decisions by DoT and TRAI remain central to when services can begin.

With inputs from PTI