Overview

• The Department of Telecommunications issued Starlink a Letter of Intent on May 7, initiating the GMPCS licence process.
• Starlink must pay a non‑refundable entry fee of ₹1.6 crore and post bank guarantees exceeding ₹1.2 crore under the LoI terms.
• The company is required to meet India’s security and data‑localisation norms, including lawful interception systems and a domestic command‑and‑control centre.
• The final step is securing authorisation from the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre, with clearance expected imminently.
• Post‑approval, Starlink aims to deploy ground gateways over six to seven months and launch consumer plans via Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel, targeting promotional rates below $10 per month.