NEW DELHI: India approved a licence for Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet marking what the communications minister referred to as the nation’s “next frontier of connectivity.”
Starlink uses low Earth orbit satellites to deliver fast internet in remote areas. Its introduction in India has triggered heated discussions on matters like pricing strategies and allocation of spectrum.
Communications minister Jyotiraditya Scindia mentioned having a “productive meeting” with Gwynne Shotwell, SpaceX’s president and chief operating officer.
Shotwell praised the approval for Starlink and called it an exciting beginning, according to the minister in a post shared Tuesday on Musk’s social media site X.
This news comes after big telecom players in India, Jio Platforms and competitor Bharti Airtel, announced partnerships in March with SpaceX to deliver Starlink internet services to their customers.
Musk has clashed with Mukesh Ambani, Asia’s richest man and owner of Jio Platforms, over how satellite spectrum should be allocated.
Though Musk’s presence in India involves X for now, his electric car company Tesla is gearing up to launch operations in the country.
