According to two sources who spoke to Reuters on Friday, Elon Musk’s Starlink has been granted permission by the telecom ministry to begin commercial operations in India. This is a significant step forward for the satellite operator, which also needs to demonstrate that it complies with security regulations.
Musk, whose public spat with President Donald Trump jeopardizes $22 billion in SpaceX contracts and space initiatives with the US government, is happy about the clearance.
After approving comparable applications from Eutelsat’s OneWeb and Reliance Jio to offer services in the South Asian country, Starlink is the third company to receive a license from India’s Department of Telecommunications.
A request for comment was not immediately answered by the Department of Telecommunications or Starlink.
