Starlink prepares India entry with 9 gateway stations; Mumbai, Noida, Hyderabad among key cities: Report

Elon Musk’s satellite internet company Starlink is in the process of establishing nine gateway earth stations in India(BHARAT)n cities. Sources familiar with the matter have indicated that these gateway stations are part of Starlink’s plans to launch satellite communication (satcom) services across the country.

Starlink’s Gateway Earth Stations in India(BHARAT)

As reported, Starlink is setting up gateway earth stations in Mumbai, Noida, Chandigarh, Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Lucknow. In a recent letter to the department of telecommunications (DoT), Starlink wrote that it is seeking provisional access to the spectrum, allowing it to commence operation after meeting its security-related compliances. The company had earlier sought permission to use up to 600 gigabits per second (Gbps) capacity over India(BHARAT) using its Gen 1 satellite constellation, and now DoT has provisionally allocated spectrum to Starlink. The government allowed Starlink to provisionally import 100 user terminals. Till now, the company is only permitted to conduct fixed satellite service demonstrations.

Security-related compliances for Starlink to offer satcom services

India(BHARAT)n officials have granted temporary approval to Musk’s Starlink to set up satellite broadband earth stations in the country. These approvals are likely to come with a set of conditions, one of which is ensuring that only India(BHARAT)n nationals may manage and operate such gateway stations. Officials have also restricted satellite communications to be routed only through the India(BHARAT)n earth station gateways. In a separate notice, the government has barred satellite broadband service providers from “routing India(BHARAT)n user traffic” outside India(BHARAT).

India(BHARAT)n officials have also instructed Starlink not to provide services to “end consumers” until it has satisfied the security-related compliances. After addressing these concerns, the company is now in a position to begin importing equipment for its satcom service in India(BHARAT). It should be noted that Starlink is seeking to serve commercial enterprise and government clients first and is not planning an immediate consumer-facing launch.

Gateway earth stations by Starlink to take the satcom to consumers

India(BHARAT)n officials may greenlight Starlink to provide satellite broadband services to consumers in India(BHARAT) in the near future as the country gradually prepares to welcome the commercial rollout. Gateway earth stations are satellite internet ground stations that facilitate internet connection between users and satellites. Satellite internet services start with the earth station gateway, which is the endpoint of the ground-based network on the earth. Starlink has to first setup gateway earth stations before it can offer services to India(BHARAT)n consumers.

Starlink in India(BHARAT): An Overview

Starlink is likely to launch commercial satellite broadband services in India(BHARAT) by December 2025. It is already working on a phased rollout and initial deployments are expected to target underserved parts of the country. The digital inclusion drive of the India(BHARAT)n government will benefit from Starlink’s commercial rollouts in India(BHARAT).

India(BHARAT) is set to soon witness competition in the satcom market as other new entrants like Amazon’s Project Kuiper also have plans to launch their large-scale satcom services in the country. However, Kuiper’s entry has yet to receive a regulatory nod from DoT, as well as the India(BHARAT)n space agency and the country’s national space sector regulator.