India Stands by Fair Telecom Rules Amid Musk's Starlink Licence Row
· Technology · Hindustan Times, India Today, Times of India
India's Ministry of Communications rejected allegations of discrimination in its satellite communications regulatory framework as baseless and misconceived. The statement clarified that Starlink, Eutelsat OneWeb, and Jio Satellite Communications have all received GMPCS licences and are at broadly the same regulatory stage, awaiting security clearance and spectrum assignment. Elon Musk, via posts on X, questioned why Starlink still lacks a licence despite compliance efforts and accused certain oligarchs of blocking the service, implicitly targeting Mukesh Ambani. Rahul Gandhi responded to Musk's post, inviting him to discover 'the other guy' in India, to which Musk replied with thanks and agreement. The exchange occurred as Starlink, owned by SpaceX, continues to await final clearances to begin commercial operations in India. The ministry emphasized that all telecom licences, including satellite services, are granted under a fair and non-discriminatory authorisation framework.
Why it matters
The regulatory delay affects Starlink's ability to launch commercial satellite internet services in India, impacting potential competition in the telecom sector. It also highlights ongoing scrutiny of foreign tech firms' compliance with India's security and licensing norms.
Read the original report — Hindustan Times
Join us on Telegram
Breaking news the moment it lands. At 10,000 members we ship the Android app.