SpaceX exec renews Starlink pitch as approvals lay pending

Years into SpaceX’s efforts to get permission to operate its satellite broadband service in India, a senior executive of the firm once again pitched Starlink as a last-mile internet access solution in the country.

“We can’t talk about building the future at scale without talking about closing the digital divide, because otherwise we’d just be building a future that leaves a substantial portion of the population behind,” Lauren Dreyer, Vice President of Starlink Business Operations at SpaceX said at the India Mobile Congress (IMC) on Tuesday (October 6, 2026).

Hours later, the firm’s founder and CEO Elon Musk accused “certain oligarchs” in India of stimying the service’s launch in India.

While Starlink has obtained a Global Mobile Personal Communications by Satellite (GMPCS) authorisation from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), the government has not yet cleared the security approvals that Starlink needs to operate. These requirements, some of which were, require SpaceX to disable Starlink receivers purchased outside India, and to also disable terminals sold in India abroad. This is on top of extensive surveillance requirements that apply across the telecom and broadband sector.

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“[F]or the past five years, Starlink has been working closely with Indian regulators, industry and operators to understand how to adapt and prepare the Starlink operations here in India to serve India best,” Ms. Dreyer said at the event.

“We’ve 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. We’ve already made the investment and built the existing ground infrastructure here — 20 gateway sites comprising hundreds of antennas — and we’ve established the operations to be ready to serve India.”

Ms. Dreyer pointed out that SpaceX has worked closely with the government and with Indian firms already. “SpaceX launched ISRO’s GSAT-N2 communications satellite; we carried Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla to and from the International Space Station, [and] we have also carried two dedicated missions and 19 rideshare missions for Indian space companies to help them reach orbit,” she said. 

Regulatory issues

“With Starlink, people can get connected within minutes, not years,” Ms. Dreyer said. But it has certainly taken the firm years to convince the government to let it operate. In 2021, the DoT censured the firm for taking preorder payments from Indian users ahead of its global rollout. The following year, the firm said it would refund users in India. It still took a few years for SpaceX to obtain a GMPCS authorisation. 

Once the government provides its nod, the service can start practically instantly, since the satellites already overfly every part of the planet. Ms. Dreyer said she hoped this nod would come through next year.

“Hopefully next time I address the Congress, the government’s good work [processing the firm’s security approvals] will have been complete, and Starlink will be authorised and ready,” Ms. Dreyer said. “We’re ready to help Prime Minister Modi achieve his vision of 100% connectivity throughout India — a vision all of our company, including Elon [Musk, SpaceX CEO], shares as well.”