Starlink Gets Green Light to Launch Internet Service in India

After securing final authorization from the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe), Starlink is poised to begin its satellite internet operations in India, potentially by the end of the year.

IN-SPACe Approval

The go-ahead from IN-SPACe, the agency responsible for supervising private sector involvement in India’s space sector, signifies the apparent end of regulatory hurdles for Starlink.

Starlink is now the third company, following Eutelsat OneWeb and Reliance Jio, to gain complete regulatory approval for offering satellite internet services in India, according to Moneycontrol.

Frequency Bands Approved

The IN-SPACe approval, which includes allocation of specific frequency bands, remains valid until the first week of July 2030.

For gateway beams, the company can operate in these bands:

• Uplink bands of 27.5–29.1 GHz and 29.5–30 GHz
• Downlink bands of 17.8–18.6 GHz and 18.8–19.3 GHz

These frequencies will employ right-hand and left-hand circular polarization.

For user beams, Starlink will use:

• 14.0–14.5 GHz uplink (LHCP)
• 10.7–12.7 GHz downlink (RHCP)

Next Steps for Starlink

Even with this authorization to operate its non-Indian GSO and NGSO satellite constellations, a commercial launch won’t happen right away.

According to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), India has approximately 36.53 million broadband subscribers as of March 2024, highlighting the potential market for satellite internet services.

Starlink, part of Elon Musk’s SpaceX, must still obtain spectrum from the Indian government, establish ground infrastructure, and meet national security requirements through testing.

Reportedly, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) will grant Starlink access to a trial spectrum to demonstrate its security compliance; the company plans to establish at least three gateway stations across India.

Sources suggest that if everything proceeds as planned, Starlink might commence its services in India either by the end of this year or early next year.

The monthly subscription plans are projected to range from Rs 3,000 to Rs 4,200.