Elon Musk, whose company operates the Starlink satellite internet network, publicly accused Reliance and the Indian government of keeping Starlink out of India in mid-October. Both rejected the charge. In a feature published on 17 October 2026, Indian technology outlet Inc42 set out what the regulatory record actually shows about Starlink, Jio and Eutelsat OneWeb.
At a glance
- Starlink: GMPCS licence June 2025, IN-SPACe authorisation July 2025, security and technical compliance demonstration in early 2026.
- Jio Satellite Communications: GMPCS licence March 2022, demonstration 20 March 2025, revenue from operations of ₹34.3 crore in FY26 (from ₹10.7 crore).
- Eutelsat OneWeb: GMPCS licence August 2021, IN-SPACe authorisation November 2023, demonstration January 2025.
Key facts
- Musk asked publicly why Starlink still has no licence, writing that it is “licensed in over 165 countries and has spent five years complying with every single law and requirement of the government of India,” and questioning whether Reliance chairman Mukesh Ambani is the “real boss of India,” Inc42 reports.
- Reliance Industries said it does not fear competition and welcomes satellite broadband players including Starlink, provided they follow Indian laws and policies, and noted that Jio’s own satellite services are awaiting clearances.
- India’s Ministry of Communications denied unequal treatment, calling the authorisation framework fair and non-discriminatory and saying the three operators are at “broadly the same regulatory stage.”
- The Department of Telecommunications (DoT), India’s telecom regulator-administrator, said all three hold GMPCS licences, that security assessments remain underway, and that spectrum assignment will follow once those assessments are complete.
- Inc42 identifies four distinct steps: a GMPCS licence, authorisation from IN-SPACe, India’s space activity regulator, a security assessment, and spectrum assignment.
Why it matters
India is one of the largest markets Starlink has not yet opened, and the dispute is about which box remains unticked rather than whether a licence exists. Inc42 notes that Starlink’s own statement does not say its security assessment is complete or that spectrum has been assigned, and that building in-country gateways is no guarantee of spectrum allocation. Until the assessments and the assignment close, Starlink availability in India stays at zero: no order page, no tariff and no launch date for any of the three satellite internet licensees.
What Starlink said
Responding to Reliance, Starlink said it has “worked closely with regulators, industry and operators in India for 5+ years” and built dedicated systems, gateways and other in-country infrastructure to serve Indian traffic exclusively, all with the requisite government approvals, according to Inc42. Inc42’s reading of that wording is that “requisite government approvals” is a claim about preparation and infrastructure, and says nothing about whether the Indian government has finished its own diligence.
Where each operator actually stands
The licence and authorisation dates above come from Inc42’s timeline. The compliance-demonstration dates were first put on the record by business daily Financial Express, whose reporting on DoT records Inc42 cites. On that sequence, Inc42’s conclusion is that Eutelsat OneWeb should sit ahead of Starlink and Jio in the queue once final assessments are done — which is why Eutelsat OneWeb is still waiting for its India clearance too.
Bharti Enterprises chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal said OneWeb applied for approval five years ago, that its ground network had been ready for three years and its satellites had been positioned over India for around five years, Inc42 reports. Mittal added that OneWeb would be happy to receive approval “at least a few days before him [Musk].”
Is the process fair?
Sohom Banerjee, a public policy and technology strategist and founder of Quantive Advisory LLP, told Inc42 the delay raises questions about regulator predictability but is not in itself proof of unequal treatment. A fair process, he said, requires equivalent security standards, documented criteria, clarity on what remains outstanding, and a defined next step for each applicant.
Inc42 adds that the criteria for the security assessment are not open to public discussion or consultation. Its stated conclusion is that collapsing the four steps into a single “approval” is what has muddied the public argument — an argument already running alongside street-level opposition to Starlink’s entry.
Jio’s own reading of the threat
In its IPO papers, Jio Platforms identified satellite broadband as a potential competitor to JioFiber and JioAirFiber, Jio’s fixed and fixed-wireless broadband products, particularly in areas where terrestrial networks are expensive or difficult to deploy, according to Inc42. The filing also flagged that administrative allocation of satellite spectrum could give satellite operators a different cost structure from terrestrial telecom players, which buy spectrum at auction.
That makes the unfinished fourth step a pricing question as well as a licensing one: the terms on which spectrum is handed out feed straight into what a satellite internet operator has to charge, and no Indian Starlink price has been published while assignment is pending. It is the cost side of the case made by analysts who say Starlink’s India prospects turn on price and capacity.
What to watch next
On the DoT’s own account, the next milestones are completion of the security assessments and then spectrum assignment. Inc42 frames the open questions as which requirements each operator has met, what is still pending, and whether the same standard and timelines apply to all three.
Frequently Asked Questions
What exactly is a GMPCS licence?
Inc42 explains that Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite, or GMPCS, is a satellite-based communication system delivering voice, data, fax and messaging services directly to portable terminals anywhere on the ground. In India it is the telecom licence an operator needs before it can offer such services.
Does holding the licence let Starlink start selling service in India now?
No. Inc42 reports that a licence does not by itself authorise commercial services: an operator must also meet the conditions attached to its services, clear the security process and complete spectrum-related requirements before switching anything on.
What is the TRAI 30-day window people keep citing?
Public policy strategist Sohom Banerjee told Inc42 that the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s suggested 30-day window applies to spectrum assignment and objections, at a stage that comes after prior in-principle network clearance. He cautioned that it should not be read as a deadline for completing the security assessments themselves.
Has anyone announced an India launch date or price for Starlink?
Not as of Inc42’s 17 October 2026 feature. Neither Starlink nor the Department of Telecommunications has put out a commercial launch date for India, and no Indian consumer tariff has been published by Starlink, Jio Satellite Communications or Eutelsat OneWeb.
![Using Your Own Router with Starlink: Bypass Mode [2026]](https://starlink-news.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/using-your-own-router-with-starlink-bypass-mode-20-f6c09f95-120x86.png)
