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Hours after the Ministry of Communications unequivocally refuted claims by SpaceX CEO Elon Musk that vested interests were targeting his satellite communications company Starlink's plans in India, Musk has once again questioned why the license for commercial operations has not been granted to the company.
In a series of quote posts on X, Musk responded to various users who had given their opinion on the subject of Starlink's operations in India. He alleged that despite sending five years complying with Indian laws the license for commercial operations still eluded Starlink. https://x.com/elonmusk/status/2108187065687118261?s=20 In one post Musk wrote, "Starlink is licensed in over 165 countries and has spent five years complying with every single law and requirement of the government of India, so why still no license? Is Ambani the real boss of India?" https://x.com/elonmusk/status/2108180318842736942?s=20 While another quote post series on X from Musk said, "People who oppose Starlink hurt only the least-served. The wealthy or those living in large cities already have good Internet, so they dont understand." "Starlink provides Internet connectivity to the least-served, enabling self-education and prosperity by giving people access to sell their products worldwide," the second post said. https://x.com/elonmusk/status/2108144416175398920?s=20 Replying to another post from an X user, advocate Nitin Meshram, Musk claimed that Starlink would help in areas that have bad or no internet coverage. "Starlink will be of great help to areas of India that have bad or no Internet and even no mobile coverage. No country has perfect coverage, including America, but Starlink can fill in the coverage gaps for those who most need it. The series of posts comes after the Ministry of Communication dispelled Musk's earlier posts that claimed that Starlink plans were being blocked by 'certain oligarchs'. The Ministry said that the Government had put in place a fair and non-discriminatory authorisation framework for all telecommunication services, including satellite communication services. Under this, telecom licences have been granted to three Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite services based on non-geosynchronous satellite orbit based satellite communications, as part of its commitment to enable provision of satellite communication services in India. "Under the terms and conditions of license, every such licensee is required to demonstrate compliance with security conditions. This is aimed at ensuring that services provided meet various security requirements to ensure safety of all users and their data. Security assessment as part of this process is currently under way in respect of all the three licensees. As and when this process is completed for a licensed entity, it may proceed to the next step of seeking assignment of spectrum. At present, all the three entities are at broadly the same regulatory stage. As such, the suggestion that the framework or its application is unfair or discriminatory is baseless and misconceived," the statement from the Ministry read. Earlier, in a reply to a post on X that had claimed to cite reasons for why India needs Starlink, Musk alleged that the company was being blocked by 'oligarchs'. Musk said, "Unfortunately, we (Starlink) are being blocked by certain oligarchs in order to maintain their monopolistic chokehold on the Indian people. You can guess who they are This is a crime against the people of India." On October 7, Vice President, Starlink Business Operations Lauren Dreyer while speaking at India Mobile Congress 2026 said the company had developed India-specific security controls and has built 20 gateway sites in India, adding, the company is keeping Indian users data within India. Dreyer said Starlink has invested in building the infrastructure required to serve the Indian market. The Starlink VP further added that the company has already invested in and built ground infrastructure in India, including 20 gateway sites with hundreds of antennas, and established operations to begin serving the market. Dreyer said Starlink has been working closely with Indian regulators, industry stakeholders and operators for the past five years to adapt its operations to Indias requirements and prepare to serve the market. (ANI)
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