Starlink India launch held up over local infrastructure rules, official says
What Happened
Starlink has not received clearance to launch commercial services in India because it is unwilling to comply with requirements for domestic infrastructure, according to a senior government official. India requires satellite operators to establish local gateways or base stations, route Indian user traffic through them and comply with security conditions.
Key Takeaways
The latest comments follow Elon Musk’s allegation that business interests were blocking Starlink to protect monopolies. The government rejected that allegation as“baseless and misconceived”, saying the regulatory framework is non-discriminatory and that security assessments are underway for all three licensed satellite operators.