Starlink may soon get 'conditional' satcom license in India – reports

The Indian government is believed to be expediting the satcom license application for Elon Musk's Starlink, which has been struggling to receive the go-ahead for over two years now, according to media reports. 

The Indian government has reportedly said it will give Starlink a conditional approval if it promises not to route Indian data outside the country. The company is now likely to receive conditional approval based this undertaking being provided by Starlink. 

Starlink's collaboration with US intelligence agencies is one of the reasons why Indian authorities have delayed granting approval for Starlink to sell satellite services in the country. The company was in the news recently for reportedly building a network of spy satellites for one such agency.

This comes as Elon Musk, known to be a supporter of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is scheduled to travel to India later this month. Musk is going to be in India for two days from April 21-22 and the visit will take place during India's general election, scheduled to start on April 19, where the ruling party is fighting to get a mandate for a third term. Musk is also likely to announce the setting up of a Tesla factory in the country. 

The Indian government is also likely to insist on several safeguards before granting provisional or conditional approval. Starlink will need to share details about its shareholding and any investments or contracts with US security agencies. While Indian laws demand shareholding information, US laws prevent unlisted companies from revealing this information. This deadlock is the key reason for the delay in Indian authorities approving Starlink's application for satcom licenses.

Some time ago, Indian authorities asked for clarification on whether Starlink had any investment from Pakistan or China. Starlink had reported that none of its investors were from these two nations. India does not have friendly relations with either country.

Media reports also suggest that Starlink may provide free satellite-based connectivity in some rural and remote areas as part of the Universal Service Obligation (USOF). The Digital Communication Commission (DCC), the highest decision-making body of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), is likely to reach a decision soon.

As of now, Bharti Group's Eutelsat OneWeb and Reliance Jio have received the Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite Services (GMPCS) satcom license. Amazon's Project Kuiper is also awaiting a license to offer satcom services in the country.

 Earlier Starlink had to return the pre-booking amount to its customers as the DoT asked it to acquire necessary approvals before signing up customers.