DoT refutes bias in Starlink authorisation, says all licensees’ approvals pending

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) on Thursday rejected allegations that it was shielding oligarchs from competition by delaying approvals for SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service in India.

The statement came in response to billionaire Elon Musk’s charge on Wednesday that “certain oligarchs” were hindering Starlink’s launch in India. Bharti-backed OneWeb and Reliance Industries Ltd’s satellite internet arm are the other two companies that have secured satellite internet authorisations from the DoT.

However, the DoT said security assessments for both operators are “currently under way”, stressing that the regulatory framework applies uniformly to all satellite communication providers.

“A post is being circulated on social media regarding the fairness of India’s regulatory framework for satellite communication services and suggesting that it is being applied in a discriminatory manner,” the DoT said. “The suggestion that the framework or its application is unfair or discriminatory is baseless and misconceived.”

At the India Mobile Congress on Wednesday, SpaceX executive Lauren Dreyer said she hoped Starlink would have received approval to begin services in India by this time next year. She also said the company had already established 20 facilities in India to process Indian users’ data locally.

The DoT said all satellite communication licensees are required to demonstrate compliance with specified security conditions before services can be rolled out.

“Under the terms and conditions of licence [sic], every such licensee is required to demonstrate compliance with security conditions,” the department said. “This is aimed at ensuring that services provided meet various security requirements to ensure safety of all users and their data.”

Mr. Musk, however, doubled down on his criticism on Thursday, amplifying several posts supporting Starlink’s launch in India.

“Starlink will be of great help to areas of India that have bad or no Internet and even no mobile coverage,” he said. “No country has perfect coverage, including America, but Starlink can fill in the coverage gaps for those who most need it.”

In a subsequent post, Mr. Musk named Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani, asking if the latter was “the real boss of India”. 

“Starlink is licensed in over 165 countries and has spent five years complying with every single law and requirement of the government of India, so why still no license,” he asked.

This is not the first time Mr. Musk has criticised a government on X, formerly Twitter, after Starlink faced delays in obtaining regulatory approval.

In January, Mr. Musk accused the South African government of racism over its Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment policy, which requires at least 30% ownership of foreign telecommunications licensees to be held by historically disadvantaged groups.

“Starlink is not allowed to have an Internet provider license in South Africa for the sole reason that I am not Black,” Mr. Musk had said.