Starlink operations in India: BJP leader Rajeev Chandrasekhar asks Elon Musk to be patient

Thiruvananthapuram: BJP Keralam president Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Friday asked US business tycoon Elon Musk to be patient in response to the billionaire's social media posts questioning why no license has been given to Starlink in India, the satellite internet service company owned by him.

Chandrasekhar, replying to Musk on X, said that the businessman has stirred up plenty of reaction with his posts on Starlink not being able to operate in India.

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The BJP MLA from Nemom said that all three satcom licensees -- Starlink, Reliance Jio's satellite venture Jio Satcom and Bharti-backed Eutelsat OneWeb-- "are at broadly the same stage of ensuring security clearance by verifying safety and trust first, then spectrum".

Chandrasekhar, former Union minister of state for information technology, said that satellite internet protocol (IP) services have many security implications.

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"More so in a country like India, which has faced years of terror and insurgency supported by inimical state actors in our neighbourhood. From 26/11 terror attacks to recent ones in Pahalgam, satcom has been the preferred communication mode for terrorists," he said.

"Satellite VOIP (voice over internet protocol) and encryption create more security challenges. Not insurmountable, but new capabilities and capacity have to be built to ensure safety and trust," he said in his X post.

The BJP leader said that he finds Starlink to be an "awesome technology" that represents a new era in mobility innovation.

"But a country has to plan for itself and its interests before every new choice. That's what India is doing. Patience is unavoidable and in this case is a necessity," he told Musk.

Chandrasekhar also said that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi the three principles that govern technology, including telecom and internet, are -- open, safe and trusted and accountable.

"Open - free from any monopoly, duopoly. Free and fair competition. Safe and trusted - Infra, Network, Platforms must be safe and trusted. Accountable - every participant should be legally accountable for safety and trust," he said.

The telecom ministry had on Thursday rejected Musk's allegation that Starlink's satellite internet services were being blocked by domestic business interests.

The ministry had said that all satellite communications companies were subject to the same regulatory and security requirements.