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India Clears Starlink Under Strict Data Rules, Launch Targeted by End-2025

The licence follows Starlink’s acceptance of security conditions that require Indian gateways with domestic user traffic kept off foreign systems.

Overview

  • Minister of State for Communications Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar said the Department of Telecommunications granted Starlink a Unified Licence after the company agreed to mandatory security terms.
  • Those terms mandate earth station gateways located in India and prohibit routing, copying, decrypting or mirroring Indian user traffic outside the country.
  • Commercial service is expected by December 2025, with rollout contingent on final spectrum allocation and infrastructure readiness, according to the minister.
  • Authorities indicate the service will launch in phases with an initial focus on remote and underserved regions.
  • The telecom department received TRAI’s recommendations on satellite spectrum assignment and pricing on May 9, and the government expects the sector to create jobs through network and equipment deployment.