Elon Musk’s Starlink is expected to receive approval to offer its services in India pending a final meeting later this month. A high-level meeting is scheduled for the upcoming weeks, during which Starlink’s proposal for a global mobile personal communication by satellite (GMPCS) services license is anticipated to be discussed.
According to the report, in addition to obtaining the GMPCS license, Starlink will need approvals from various government agencies, including the Department of Space, before commencing its operations in the country. It’s worth noting that both Reliance Jio and Sunil Mittal’s OneWeb have already secured GMPCS licenses in India.
Once Starlink secures the GMPCS license, it must also navigate the approval process with different government bodies and the Department of Space before formally accepting orders and proceeding with its operational launch.
Starlink, a subsidiary of Elon Musk’s SpaceX aerospace company, initially faced challenges when it entered the Indian market. In late 2021, it received a reprimand from the telecom ministry for accepting advance payments from subscribers for its services without a valid license. At that time, the company had garnered over 5,000 pre-orders for its devices in India, which led to government intervention, requiring Starlink to initiate refunds for those who had made payments.