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Indian government warns against Starlink

November 29, 2021

India’s Department of Telecom (DoT) has said that Elon Musk’s Starlink broadband-by-satellite service is not licensed by India and the public should not subscribe to services. Local media says that Starlink Internet Services are already being advertised in the country.

The DoT has also asked Starlink to comply with India’s regulatory framework for offering satellite-based communication services, and refrain from booking/rendering satellite internet services in India “with immediate effect”.

The DoT has seemingly made it clear that the company should get a licence before offering satellite-based services.

The DoT’s statement says: “Department of Telecommunications, Ministry of Communications, [and the] 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. It is hereby informed to the public at large that the said company has not obtained any licence/authorisation for rendering satellite based internet services that are being booked on their website.”

“It has come to notice that M/s Starlink has started pre-selling/booking of the satellite-based Starlink Internet Services in India. The same is also evident from the website of Starlink wherein satellite-based internet services can be booked by users in Indian territory,” adds the statement.

Starlink’s Country Director for India Sanjay Bhargava, in a social media post earlier, had said that the pre-order numbers from India has crossed 5,000 and the company is keen to work in rural areas for providing broadband services.

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