Starlink In India Soon? Ahead Of Elon Musk's Upcoming Visit, Government Clears Regulatory Hurdle For The Satellite Internet Service

Days before his expected meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Elon Musk's satellite internet venture, Starlink, has cleared a significant regulatory hurdle by receiving in-principle approval from India's telecom ministry.

According to reports by Economic Times, the approval process has progressed well, with the commercial aspects of Starlink's application meeting the necessary criteria related to foreign investment and net worth.

Additionally, technical requirements have been examined in alignment with license conditions, and the company has submitted a declaration regarding its ownership, addressing government concerns about foreign stakeholders.

A key concern for the government was ensuring that Starlink's ownership did not involve stakeholders from countries sharing a land border with India.

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This issue has reportedly been resolved with Starlink's submission of a declaration regarding ownership.

The telecom ministry has imposed certain mandates, including ensuring that KYC details and customer information of Indian users remain within the country.

Furthermore, data beams from satellites are mandated to land in India and not elsewhere due to satellite movement.

Once final vetting is completed by the home ministry, Starlink is expected to be granted a Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite (GMPCS) services license.

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is currently expediting the license process ahead of Elon Musk's visit to India later this month.

Musk's visit, scheduled for 21 and 22 April, is anticipated to include discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other government officials.

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