Starlink has today responded to recent reports that the Indian government has frozen approval for its commercial operations in the country due to security concerns linked to the Iran conflict.
Lauren Dreyer, Vice President of Starlink Business Operations, in a post on X, reshared a Bloomberg report, calling it “misleading,” and said the space-based internet service provider was in "active and productive discussions" with the Indian government regarding its planned launch in the country.
“Starlink remains in active and productive discussions with the Government of India contrary to misleading stories based upon unsubstantiated claims from anonymous sources,” Dreyer wrote.
“We have heard nothing but encouraging feedback on Starlink’s capabilities and its potential to advance India’s connectivity ambitions, especially in remote and underserved regions,” she wrote.
Dreyer added that Starlink is working with the Indian government to meet all regulatory and compliance requirements in a “transparent and responsible manner.”
She also added that the company has created a "bespoke deployment model" to align with India's technology, regulatory and security requirements.
What did the report claim?
The Bloomberg report, citing sources, published on 9 June, claimed that final clearances for Starlink's launch have not been granted by security agencies under the Ministry of Home Affairs. It noted that concerns were raised after Starlink terminals were used during the US-Iran war despite the service not being officially licensed in the country.
This, the report claimed, has the Indian government worried about its ability to control a US-based internet operator during geopolitical tensions.
Notably, Starlink already secured the Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite (GMPCS) licence in India last year. However, the company still requires some additional approvals before it can begin rolling out its services in the country.
The Elon Musk-led internet provider has also already begun establishing its infrastructure in India, including gateway stations and network facilities, in preparation for entering one of the world's largest broadband markets.
In an interview with Nithin Kamath last year, Musk talked about Starlink's India expansion, saying, “SpaceX is doing great work with the Starlink programme, providing low-cost, reliable internet throughout the world, and hopefully, India. We’d love to be operating in India. That would be great. We are operating in 150 different countries now with Starlink.”
He added that Starlink would be particularly useful for improving connectivity in rural regions in India, where cell towers and fibre-optic networks are inefficient and costly.
“In cities, you’ve got these cell towers that are only a kilometre apart. But cell towers tend to be inefficient in the countryside. So, rural areas are where you tend to have the worst internet. Starlink is very complementary to the existing telecom companies,” Musk added.
SpaceX IPO in sight
Notably, news that SpaceX's India commercial operations are in jeopardy and the subsequent clarification came just days ahead of the SpaceX IPO, which is expected to be listed on the Nasdaq and could be the largest IPO in history, with a valuation of $1.75 trillion.
