Elon Musk’s Starlink is set to hold demonstration runs in Mumbai on October 30 and 31 to display its compliance with the security and technical standards required for satellite broadband operations in India.
Officials from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) said the demonstrations will be carried out using the provisional spectrum granted to Starlink and will take place in the presence of law enforcement representatives.
The trials are seen as a crucial step in the company’s efforts to secure final regulatory approval before launching commercial satellite broadband services in the country, TNIE reported.
Along with Starlink, Bharti-backed Eutelsat OneWeb and Reliance Jio-SES have also obtained Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite (GMPCS) licenses to offer such services in India. However, commercial launches are still some time away, as all three companies remain in the testing stage and the DoT has yet to allocate spectrum for full-scale operations.
At the India Mobile Congress 2025, Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said India would roll out its satellite communication network at a record pace, comparable to the rapid deployment of 5G.
He highlighted that the country’s satellite communication market covering both telecom and broadcasting, was valued at $4.3 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow nearly threefold to $14.8 billion by 2033, pointing to the sector’s strong growth potential.