According to the Ministry of Communication, Elon Musk’s SpaceX does not have a license to provide broadband internet services in India. Citizens were asked not to sign up for the service.
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
- According to the government, Starlink Internet Services is not authorised to promote satellite-based internet services in India.
- According to the Ministry of Communications, Starlink has begun pre-selling and reserving satellite internet services in India.
- The government has encouraged the people not to subscribe to the Starlink services that are being offered.
In India, the government has issued a warning to citizens not to subscribe to Elon Musk’s satellite broadband service. Starlink Internet Services, SpaceX’s satellite broadband business, is not licenced to sell satellite-based internet services in India and is prohibited from doing so, according to the company.
The Department of Transportation has also directed the billionaire’s internet-from-space company to comply with the regulatory framework for offering the service in India and to “immediately” stop booking or rendering the service in India.
According to the department, Starlink has begun pre-selling the service in India, as evidenced by its website, which allows consumers in Indian territory to book satellite-based internet services.
For a fully refundable deposit of $99 or Rs 7,400, SpaceX has begun taking orders for the beta version of the service.
“The Department of Telecommunications Ministry of Communications, Government of India has pointed out that Starlink Internet Services is not licensed to offer satellite-based internet services in India being advertised to the public… the government, (accordingly), has asked the company to comply with the Indian regulatory framework for rendering satellite-based communication services and refrain from booking/ rendering such services in India with immediate effect,” said Ministry of Communications in a statement issued Friday.
Musk last commented publicly about Starlink’s aspirations for India in September. The SpaceX founder claimed he is figuring out the regulatory process in India while replying to an inquiry on Twitter. He wrote, “Just sorting out the regulatory approval process.”
The government warned Indian citizens on Friday not to use the company’s services because it lacks the necessary license.
“With immediate effect, the Government has requested that the corporation conform with the Indian regulatory framework for providing satellite-based communication services and stop from booking/rendering satellite internet services in India.” The public is urged not to subscribe to Starlink services promoted since Starlink is not a licensee, according to the Ministry.
Elon Musk last commented publicly about Starlink’s aspirations for India in September. The SpaceX founder claimed he is figuring out the regulatory process in India while replying to an inquiry on Twitter. He wrote, “Just sorting out the regulatory approval process.”
The government warned Indian citizens on Friday not to use the company’s services because it lacks the necessary license.
“With immediate effect, the Government has requested that the corporation conform with the Indian regulatory framework for providing satellite-based communication services and stop from booking/rendering satellite internet services in India.” The public is urged not to subscribe to Starlink services promoted since Starlink is not a licensee, according to the Ministry.
Sanjay Bhargava, Starlink India’s director, revealed on LinkedIn last month that the company’s India subsidiary, Starlink Satellite Communications Private Limited, had been successfully registered. “It gives me great pleasure to announce that SpaceX now has a wholly-owned subsidiary in India.”
By 2022, the company hopes to have services in place at 200,000 operational terminals in over 160,000 districts.
Musk recently stated that Starlink will be capable of data transfer at the speed of light. According to GizmoChina, the Starlink network now relies on a dish, satellites, and ground stations. The corporation aims to get rid of these ground stations, which have proven to be a bottleneck for speedy data transfers due to their slow communication with satellites.