New Delhi: SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk has questioned why Starlink is yet to receive the final approvals to begin commercial operations in India, claiming that the satellite internet company has spent five years complying with the country’s laws and regulations.
Musk first accused unnamed “oligarchs” of blocking Starlink’s entry into India, alleging that powerful business interests were trying to protect their position in the country’s telecom market. He did not name any company or individual.
The government them slammed the US business tycoon over his allegations that Starlink’s satcom services are being blocked, making it clear that demonstrating compliance with security norms is an absolute must for every satcom licensee in the country.
Within hours of the government’s rebuttal, Musk in an X post asked whether “Ambani is the real boss of India”.
The comments came in response to a post arguing that Starlink could help expand internet access in parts of India where traditional telecom infrastructure is difficult or expensive to build.
Starlink has secured a licence to provide satellite communication services in India, but the company still requires security-related clearances and other approvals before it can commercially launch its service.
The government has rejected suggestions that Starlink is facing a discriminatory regulatory regime, describing such claims as “baseless and misconceived”.
Earlier in the day, Minister of State for Communications, Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani, said the issue was with the Ministry of Home Affairs and was not specific to any one company. “The Department of Telecom has issued licences to all satcom companies as well as provisional spectrum. Now the issue is pending with MHA for security clearance. As soon as it is cleared, they will get it. It has nothing to do with one company,” Pemmasani told reporters on the sidelines of the ‘India Mobile Congress’.
Bharti Airtel Chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal, whose group backs OneWeb, said his own satellite venture was also waiting for regulatory approvals.
(IANS)
