Govt denies Elon Musk-owned Starlink connection in satellite spectrum allocation

New Delhi: The Communications Ministry has denied that the decision to administratively allocate satellite spectrum was meant to facilitate entry of Elon Musk’s Starlink in India.

“No Sir. The Telecommunications Act, 2023 provides for assignment of spectrum through administrative process for satellite-based services, listed in First Schedule of the Act,” Minister of state for communications and rural development Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar said in reply to a question if the decision was made to facilitate entry of Starlink into the Indian market.

To a query around projected revenue loss as a result of not auctioning satellite spectrum, the Minister said spectrum assigned administratively are also chargeable and hence contribute to revenue.


“The Department of Telecom (DoT) has sought recommendations of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on terms and conditions of spectrum assignment including spectrum pricing in respect of licensees intending to provide satellite-based communication services while accounting for level playing field with terrestrial access services,” he said in a written reply in Lok Sabha.

On measures taken by the government to ensure that Starlink is not used by non-state actors or hostile nations against India, the Minister said DoT grants authorisations under Unified License (UL) for providing satellite-based commercial communication services.

“Satellite-based communication licenses are granted to any applicant, subject to acceptance and in compliance of the applicable licensing terms and conditions, including security conditions of India,” he added.