08 October,2026 11:14 AM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondent
Elon Musk. File Pic
The Centre on Thursday rejected SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk's allegation that Starlink was being blocked in India by "certain oligarchs", calling the claim "baseless and misconceived" and asserting that the country's regulatory framework for satellite communication services is fair and non-discriminatory.
The Ministry of Communications said all telecom operators providing satellite communication services are required to meet the same licensing and security conditions before they can proceed to the spectrum assignment stage.
Responding to Musk's post on X, the ministry said India has established a common authorisation framework for telecommunications services, including satellite communication.
"Under this, telecom licences have been granted to three Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite services based on non-geosynchronous satellite orbit-based satellite communications, as part of its commitment to enable provision of satellite communication services in India," the ministry said.
The three licensed entities are Starlink Satellite Communications, Jio Satellite Communications and OneWeb India Communications. The government had earlier confirmed that all three had received authorisation to provide GMPCS services in the country.
The ministry said licensing is not the final step before commercial satellite services can begin. Each licensee must demonstrate compliance with specified security requirements before proceeding further.
"Moreover, under the terms and conditions of licences, every such licensee is required to demonstrate compliance with security conditions," the government said.
"This is aimed at ensuring that services provided meet various security requirements to ensure the safety of all users and their data. Security assessment as part of this process is currently underway in respect of all the three licensees," it added.
According to the ministry, a licensed entity can proceed to seek spectrum assignment after completing the required security assessment.
"At present, all the three entities are at broadly the same regulatory stage. As such, the suggestion that the framework or its application is unfair or discriminatory is baseless and misconceived," it said.
The government's explanation follows earlier official disclosures that Starlink, Jio Satellite and OneWeb India had received licences, while their services remain subject to regulatory and security requirements.
The government's response came a day after Musk alleged that Starlink was being "blocked by certain oligarchs" in India to protect their "monopolistic chokehold" over the country's telecommunications market.
(With inputs from IANS)
