New Delhi : SpaceX’s Starlink is closer than ever to launching its satellite internet service in India, but a few regulatory hurdles are keeping the company from switching on its network. Unfortunately, we are being blocked by certain oligarchs in order to maintain their monopolistic chokehold on the Indian people. You can guess who they are, he wrote on X.
The remarks add a sharper edge to Starlink’s prolonged wait for commercial approval in one of the world’s largest telecom markets. The argument for Starlink centres on a problem that India has been working to address for years: getting reliable internet access to communities that are difficult to reach through traditional mobile towers and fibre networks. 11,256 listed villages in India still lacked 4G coverage as of May 2026. India had 1.093 billion internet subscriptions in March 2026.
But the distribution remained uneven. Rural India accounted for 440.87 million subscriptions, with rural subscription density at 48.31 connections per 100 people. In urban areas, the figure was considerably higher at 126.80 per 100 people. In another post he added: “Starlink in India would enable high-speed, affordable Internet connectivity for those who can’t afford current prices or who don’t have a connection at all!”
Lauren Dreyer, vice president of Starlink Business Operations at SpaceX, said the company has developed India-specific security controls and built 20 gateway sites across the country, with hundreds of antennas supporting the network. “We’ve built our Starlink operations specifically for India in recognition of Indian security requirements and other regulations, establishing controls at every layer for India, and keeping Indian user data within India,” she said, as quoted by ANI.
The Indian government has granted licences to three satellite communication companies, including Starlink, to offer services in the country. But despite having built much of its required infrastructure, Starlink is still awaiting the final regulatory clearances needed to begin commercial operations.
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