Elon Musk’s Starlink bets on India! 9 gateway stations to be set up; preparations underway for commercial launch

Elon Musk-owned Starlink is preparing to establish 9 gateway earth stations across India as it gears up to launch its satellite communication (satcom) services in the country.The proposed stations will be located in Mumbai, Noida, Chandigarh, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Lucknow.“The company has applied for 600 gigabit per second capacity over India through its Gen 1 constellation. The spectrum has been assigned on a provisional basis for demonstrating security related compliances,” an official said according to ET.The company has been permitted to import up to 100 terminals for testing purposes, but only fixed satellite services can be trialed at this stage.Government officials said strict conditions have been imposed on Starlink during the testing phase to ensure national security and prevent potential misuse.Satcom is considered a critical sector that could be misused by anti-national elements, an official said. Therefore, companies are required to follow strict security conditions during testing.Starlink had sought to bring in foreign technical experts to help set up the gateway stations. However, it has been directed that only Indian nationals will operate these facilities until foreign staff receive security clearance from the ministry of home affairs, the official added.Starlink is the third company to receive airwaves for demonstrating security compliance, after Bharti-backed Eutelsat OneWeb and Reliance Jio’s satellite arm, Jio Satellite.None of the three companies has yet obtained final approval from security agencies, though all have received the required permits to launch satcom services and are waiting for final spectrum allocation.Earlier this year, India’s security agencies raised concerns over the unauthorised use of Starlink devices in border areas. In March, the MHA asked the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to investigate the issue.In December 2024, security forces in Manipur seized Starlink equipment along with weapons and ammunition. Another illegal device was also found in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, officials said.While Starlink had earlier dismissed these security concerns, it is now required to cooperate fully with authorities and share all information sought by security agencies.Under the provisional spectrum assignment, no commercial services can be offered during the demonstration phase.“Any regular spectrum assignment will be subject to the policies, including authorisation framework, spectrum pricing mechanism, etc., prevalent during or after the expiry of the security compliance period,” another official said.Starlink must also ensure that all data generated during testing is stored within India and that the equipment is protected from unauthorised access.The company is required to share details of the deployed terminals including user name, address and geo-coordinates with the DoT and security agencies every fortnight.