Page 4 - The Indian EYE 101626

COVER STORY OCTOBER 16, 2026 | The Indian Eye 4

MUSK VS INDIA

THE STARLINK

STANDOFF

Elon Musk’s charge that powerful business interests are blocking Starlink’s entry into India has

turned a regulatory dispute into a political confrontation, exposing the tensions between digital

connectivity, national security and corporate competition

OUR BUREAU are at broadly the same regulatory
stage,” the ministry said, describ-
Washington, DC / New Delhi
ing suggestions of discrimination as
he tussle between Elon Musk “baseless and misconceived”.
and the Indian government
Tover Starlink is no longer sim- This is the central point of
ply about when the satellite internet
service can begin operations. Musk, disagreement. Musk presents
the chief executive of SpaceX, has ac- the delay as an extraordinary
cused powerful business interests of
obstructing Starlink’s entry to protect obstacle faced by a company
their dominance. In his latest inter- that has complied with Indian
vention, he questioned whether Re-
liance Industries chairman Mukesh requirements for five years.
Ambani was the real power behind The government says Starlink
the delay. “Starlink is licensed in over
165 countries and has spent five years remains subject to a process
complying with every single law and that applies to its competitors
requirement of the government of In-
dia, so why still no license? Is Ambani as well.
the real boss of India?” Musk wrote
on X. A licence to offer satellite com-
The allegation has brought an
increasingly contentious regulatory munication services does not, by it-
self, mean that a company can imme-
process into the political spotlight. diately begin commercial operations.
The Ministry of Communications Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk at their meeting in Wash- Security clearances and spectrum as-
has rejected the suggestion that Star- ington, DC in 2025 (ANI file photo) signment are separate steps, accord-
link is being singled out, maintaining ing to the government’s account.
that all three satellite communica- test whether India can attract new According to the ministry, li- The ministry has not identified
tions providers at a comparable stage satellite-based services while main- cences have been granted to three a specific security deficiency on Star-
are undergoing security assessments. taining regulatory control over infra- providers of Global Mobile Personal link’s part in its public statement.
The dispute matters because structure that operates across nation- Communication by Satellite services
Starlink could expand internet ac- al boundaries. using non-geostationary satellite Nor has it said the company has been
denied entry permanently. Its posi-
cess in areas where conventional The government’s defence orbit systems. Each licensee must tion is that the assessment process
networks are difficult or expensive demonstrate compliance with secu- remains incomplete for all three pro-
to build. But it also involves strate- he government’s response has rity conditions designed to protect viders.
gic communications infrastructure, been direct. In a statement users and their data. That leaves the dispute at an
raising questions about security, data Tissued through the Press In- The ministry said security assess- awkward point: Starlink says it has
governance, spectrum management formation Bureau, the Ministry of ments were under way for all three completed the preparations need-
and the relationship between global Communications said India had es- companies. Only after an entity com- ed to launch, while the government
technology companies and national tablished a “fair and non-discrimina- pletes this process can it proceed to insists that the remaining regulatory
governments. tory authorisation framework” for all the next stage of seeking spectrum steps cannot be bypassed.
At stake is more than a commer- telecommunications services, includ- assignment.
cial licence. The confrontation will ing satellite communications. “At present, all the three entities Continued on next page... >>

www.TheIndianEYE.com