Starlink ready to launch India services, awaits final government approval
New Delhi: Elon Musk-led satellite communications company Starlink is hopeful of receiving the final approvals from the Indian government soon to begin operations in the country, a senior company executive said on Wednesday.
Starlink Business Operations vice-president Lauren Dreyer said the company was ready to work with India and had built its operations specifically to meet the country’s security requirements and regulations.
“We have built our Starlink operations specifically for India in recognition of Indian security requirements and other regulations, establishing controls at every layer for India and keeping Indian user data within India,” Dreyer said at the India Mobile Congress 2026 in New Delhi.
She said Starlink had already made investments and set up ground infrastructure in India, including 20 gateway sites with hundreds of antennas.
“We have established the operations to be ready to serve India,” she said.
Expressing hope that the pending approvals would be completed soon, Dreyer said: “Hopefully, next time I address the Congress, the government’s work will be complete, and Starlink will be authorised and ready.”
The company has been preparing for the Indian market for the past five years, keeping the country’s security requirements in mind while setting up its operations. It has also signed memorandums of understanding with Airtel and Jio as part of its preparations to serve customers in India.
Dreyer said Starlink had been building relationships in India and engaging with regulators over the past five years.
She noted that India had already achieved large-scale connectivity through affordable data and a fast-growing digital economy, but the last mile remained the most difficult area to connect.
“It’s also where Starlink offers the biggest potential to help accelerate the speed to connect 100 per cent of India,” she said.
Starlink is awaiting security clearance from the Indian government and approval for foreign direct investment. The company has already received clearances from IN-SPACe and the Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite licence.
“We are standing ready to serve India once India is ready. We’re ready to work with the government, with operators and with industry to this end,” Dreyer said.
She added that Starlink was ready to help Prime Minister Narendra Modi achieve his vision of 100 per cent connectivity across India, a goal she said the company, including Musk, shared.
Dreyer also referred to Starlink’s engagement with India’s space sector, saying SpaceX and India had been working together. She highlighted the company’s role in carrying Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla to and from the International Space Station.
(Inputs from IANS)