The Indian government has rejected claims that Starlink is being treated differently from other satellite internet operators, saying Starlink, Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio Satellite Communications are all at broadly the same regulatory stage and are currently undergoing security assessments.
The statement comes as Starlink’s India entry has become a fresh point of contention following comments by Elon Musk alleging that unnamed “oligarchs” were blocking the company’s launch to protect existing market interests. The government has called the allegation baseless and said the same regulatory requirements apply to all three licensed satellite operators.
Government Says All Three Operators Are at the Same Stage
The Ministry of Communications said on October 8 that India has established a fair and non-discriminatory authorisation framework for telecom services, including satellite communications.
According to the ministry, licences have been granted to three companies for Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite services using non-geostationary satellite systems: Starlink Satellite Communications, OneWeb India Communications and Jio Satellite Communications.
All three are required to demonstrate compliance with security conditions before moving to the next stage. The government said security assessments are currently underway for all three licensees.
The ministry said that once the security assessment for a licensed entity is completed, the company can proceed to seek spectrum assignment. It specifically said that the three operators are currently at broadly the same regulatory stage.
Starlink Is Not Yet Commercially Live in India
The government’s clarification is important because Starlink has already made significant preparations for an Indian launch.
At India Mobile Congress 2026, Lauren Dreyer, SpaceX’s vice president for Starlink business operations, said the company had built 20 gateway sites and hundreds of antennas in India. Starlink has also said it has designed India-specific security controls and infrastructure to comply with local requirements.
However, having infrastructure ready does not mean the service has received all approvals required for commercial operation.
Starlink therefore remains in the pre-commercial stage in India. The company still needs to complete the applicable regulatory process before it can begin offering commercial satellite broadband services to Indian customers.
OneWeb and Jio Satcom Are Waiting Too
The government’s position was reinforced by Bharti Airtel Chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal at IMC 2026.
Mittal said Eutelsat OneWeb is also waiting for its own approvals to start satellite services in India. OneWeb’s Indian operations are backed by the Bharti Group, making Mittal’s comments particularly relevant to the debate over whether Starlink is being singled out.
The government has similarly included Jio Satellite Communications in the same regulatory position.
That means India’s emerging satellite broadband market currently has three major licensed operators waiting for the regulatory process to progress rather than one company being singled out for delay.
Why Security Clearance Matters
Satellite broadband introduces a different set of regulatory and security considerations from conventional consumer broadband.
Satellite networks can provide connectivity over very large geographic areas, including remote, coastal and border regions. Their ground infrastructure, network architecture, user terminals and data flows therefore have to meet India’s security requirements.
The government says the security assessment is intended to ensure that satellite services meet requirements relating to the safety of users and their data.
The ministry’s latest statement does not give a specific completion date for the security assessments.
This means consumers should not interpret the October 8 clarification as an indication that Starlink, OneWeb or Jio Satellite will immediately launch commercial services.
Spectrum Comes After the Security Process
Another important part of the government’s explanation is the sequence of approvals.
The current process is not simply a question of obtaining a telecom licence and switching on the satellite network. Security compliance is part of the licensing conditions, and the government says a company can proceed to seek spectrum assignment once the relevant security process is completed.
This is why Starlink’s infrastructure preparations and its commercial availability are two different matters. The company can build gateways, prepare antennas and adapt its network for India while still waiting for the remaining regulatory steps.
The same principle applies to OneWeb and Jio Satcom.
India Has Already Licensed Three Satcom Operators
The government’s latest statement follows an earlier policy process that resulted in licences for the three companies.
A January 2026 government response said the Department of Telecommunications had issued Unified Licences with GMPCS authorisation to OneWeb India Communications, Jio Satellite Communications and Starlink Satellite Communications. Applications from some other companies were either rejected, withdrawn or remained under examination at that time.
The government has previously described satellite communications as a way to extend connectivity to rural, underserved and unserved locations, including remote, coastal, border and mountainous areas where terrestrial networks can be difficult to deploy.
The latest dispute is therefore happening against a much broader policy objective: bringing satellite connectivity into India’s overall telecom infrastructure.
Starlink’s India Preparation Gives the Story a Different Dimension
The regulatory dispute comes at an interesting point in Starlink’s India preparations.
Just a day earlier, Starlink’s IMC presentation revealed the scale of its physical preparation, including 20 gateway sites and hundreds of antennas. The company said it had worked with Indian authorities for years to adapt its network and security architecture for the market.
That makes the government’s latest clarification significant because it separates readiness from regulatory approval.
Starlink may be operationally prepared, but the government says its regulatory position is not fundamentally different from that of the other two licensed operators.
For consumers, the practical result remains the same: Starlink is not yet commercially available in India.
The Satellite Broadband Race Is Still Open
India’s satellite broadband market is shaping up around three major players with very different approaches.
Starlink brings SpaceX’s large global LEO constellation and has already invested in Indian gateway infrastructure. OneWeb brings an existing LEO network and the Bharti Group’s presence in the Indian telecom ecosystem. Jio Satellite is developing its own broader satellite strategy alongside Jio’s existing mobile and fibre infrastructure.
Jio has also showcased a proposed sovereign satellite connectivity architecture at IMC 2026 involving around 1,600 LEO satellites and 23 ground stations. That proposal is a future architecture rather than evidence that those satellites have already been deployed.
The competitive landscape could therefore become much broader once regulatory and spectrum processes are completed.
What Happens Next?
The government’s October 8 statement does not provide a launch date for any of the three operators.
Instead, it establishes the current regulatory position: Starlink, OneWeb and Jio Satcom are all undergoing security assessments, and the government says they are broadly at the same stage.
The next meaningful milestone will therefore be completion of those assessments and subsequent spectrum assignment.
For Starlink, this means the company’s gateway infrastructure and India-specific preparations are necessary but not sufficient for commercial launch.
For OneWeb and Jio, the same regulatory hurdle remains.
India’s satellite internet race has therefore moved into a particularly important phase. The infrastructure is being prepared, licences have been issued and companies are positioning their networks, but commercial satellite broadband has not yet begun.
The government’s latest response also makes one point clear: whatever the eventual competitive outcome, the remaining approval process is being presented as a common regulatory requirement rather than a Starlink-specific barrier.
