Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Wednesday reiterated that Starlink, led by Elon Musk, must fulfil all security clearance requirements before starting services in the country.
Responding to a question about the Iran incident — where Starlink reportedly began operating without a licence — the minister clarified that the existing security framework applies uniformly to all operators.
“We have a performa of what the security rules are. Any operator who complies with those rules will be allowed to operate in India,” the minister said.
In Iran, Starlink was found to have operated without proper authorisation or licensing, despite the use of its services being banned by the Iranian government. Reports indicate that Starlink even waived monthly subscription fees for users in Iran after authorities there shut down internet services.
At present, Starlink, Eutelsat OneWeb, and Jio Satellite Global Services have secured licences to provide satellite communication services in India. However, none of them has yet received the mandatory security clearance required to roll out commercial services. Once these companies meet the security requirements, the Department of Telecommunications will assign them spectrum to commence commercial satellite services.
The minister added that he is also eager to see satellite services launch in India, but emphasized that the rollout depends on two clear responsibilities — one of the government and one of the companies. The government’s responsibility is to finalise the price of spectrum and assign that spectrum. The company’s responsibility is to ensure compliance with all security regulations.
“Only when both these conditions are met can satellite services begin…We are doing our best to finalise the spectrum assignment price as soon as possible. I will make every effort to ensure this is done before companies complete all their compliance requirements, so that there is no delay,” Scindia added.
When asked about Bharti Airtel seeking relief on its AGR dues, similar to Vodafone Idea, Scindia said the matter is determined by the Supreme Court. He added that any operator seeking such relief must approach the court directly.
After Vodafone Idea received AGR relief from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) following a Supreme Court order, Bharti Airtel also wrote to the DoT seeking clarification and equal treatment in the handling of its dues.
“We are operating under a verdict of the Supreme Court. As far as AGR is concerned, it is based on that verdict that we have taken whatever action,” said the minister.