Elon Musk Questions Starlink Delay in India as Rahul Gandhi Replies

SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk asked on Thursday why Starlink still lacks a commercial licence in India after five years of compliance with local laws. The query followed Musk's earlier social media post alleging that Starlink was being blocked by certain oligarchs in the country.

Government Response

The Indian Ministry of Communications rejected Musk's claims as baseless and misconceived. The ministry stated that the national regulatory framework for satellite communication services is fair and non-discriminatory.

Licensing Status

Starlink has received a Global Mobile Personal Communications by Satellite licence from the government alongside Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio Satellite Communications. All three companies are currently undergoing security assessments and awaiting spectrum assignment before starting commercial operations.

Political Exchange

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi responded to Musk's post on X by welcoming him to India and advising him to wait until discovering "the other guy." Musk thanked Gandhi for the response and called the situation troubling.

Context

Satellite internet services use a network of orbiting hardware to beam broadband connectivity directly to ground terminals, making them particularly useful for remote or underserved areas. Regulatory bodies examine such operations closely for compliance with national security rules before permitting commercial rollouts.