Starlink row: Scindia says three satellite operators have licences, security clearances pending

NEW DELHI: A day after SpaceX CEO Elon Musk accused “oligarchs” of blocking Starlink’s entry into India, Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Friday said that three satellite communication service providers had received licences, but their security requirements still needed to be fulfilled before they could begin commercial operations.

Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the 10th edition of the India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2026, Scindia said security clearances fell under the purview of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), which would take the final decision.

“In terms of licensing, the government has come out in public and said that three licensee agencies have got the licence, but security terms we still have to clear that,” said Scindia.

The controversy began after Musk, in a post on X, alleged that certain “oligarchs” were blocking Starlink’s entry into India. He also questioned whether Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani was the “real boss of India”.

“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?” Musk said in an X post.

Responding to Musk, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi wrote on X, “Welcome to India, Elon. Wait till you discover the other guy.”

Musk later responded to Gandhi, saying, “Thank you, Rahul. This is indeed troubling.”

The government has issued licences to Bharti Group-backed OneWeb, the Jio-SES joint venture Jio Satellite Communications, and Musk-led Starlink to provide satellite communication services in India. Amazon’s Project Kuiper has also applied for a licence but is yet to receive government approval.

Scindia said the government was following a technology-agnostic approach and did not intend to favour any single company. He added that the commencement of commercial services would depend on the finalisation of the revenue-based spectrum charges and each company’s compliance with the prescribed security requirements.

Taking a swipe at the Congress over its response to the controversy, Scindia questioned the party’s position on the issue. “And as far as the Congress party is concerned, I don’t understand. I don’t think they themselves know whether they’re going left or right… They first had a problem initially with a certain person getting a licence. Now they have a problem, and they’ve allied with that person in terms of why he’s not getting a licence. So I don’t know whether they have clarity in terms of where they are going, but that is the case with the Congress, which is to be expected,” he added.

Speaking on the proposed Telecom Manufacturing Zone (TMZ) in Gwalior, Scindia said the project was the first of its kind being envisaged in India. He also commended the Madhya Pradesh government for developing an incentive package for the zone.

“We have close to 30 companies and one startup involved. Let me rephrase that: they are not merely expressing interest; one startup is actually going to set up a facility there. That is a commitment.

These 31 companies represent total proposed investments of approximately Rs 5,500 crore to Rs 6,000 crore. At steady state, the project is expected to generate close to 18,000 jobs,” he added.

“We are all systems go. Land for the first phase, covering more than 170 acres, is being made available, and we are looking at allotting another 400 acres to these companies.

For infrastructure, including testing and certification laboratories, we have the necessary capital of Rs 193 crore available to execute the plan,” he added.

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