India has officially licensed Elon Musk’s Starlink to provide satellite-based internet services, which paves the way for the company’s entry into the country’s growing digital market, the Union’s Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Thursday. This approval comes when India symbolizes the 30th anniversary of its first cellular call made on 31 July 1995.

The news agency PTI quoted the Union Minister as saying, “Starlink has been given an integrated license to launch satellite internet services in India. Framework is ready for spectrum allocation and gateway installation, ensuring smooth rollouts,” the news agency PTI referred to the Union Minister.

The Department of Telecommunications (DOT) first granted an authority to Starlink in July. The company first applied for permission in 2021, but faced a delay on spectrum allocation and regulator approval. Recently, the green light follows the months of association with Indian authorities and is an important step towards offering internet access in remote areas of the country.

The Starlinks run by Musk’s SpaceX, other players such as Bharti Group-supported UUTSAT OneWeb and Reliance Jio are expected to compete with SES, both are waiting for spectrum allocation to start operations. All three companies aim to distribute high-speed internet using a constellation of low-earth class (Leo) satellites.

India’s Digital Growth Story

Announcing approval, Minister Scindia also took an opportunity to reflect India’s widespread digital progress under the Narendra Modi government. In the last decade, India has seen a dramatic expansion in telecommunications and internet infrastructure.

The number of telephone connections in India is now more than 1.2 billion, while the Internet membership has increased by about 286 percent to 970 million. Broadband use, also, exceeds 1,450 percent from 60 million users in 2014 – today to 944 million. In addition, low data costs, now only Rs 8.9 per GB – a drop of 96.6 percent – makes data services between the cheapest at the global level.

BSNL turnaround and 5G expansion

A major milestone was highlighted, which was the financial change of the state-driven telecom operator, Bharat Scholar Nigam Limited (BSNL). Following a loss of almost two decades, BSNL earned a net profit of Rs 262 crore and Rs 280 crore in the last two financial years. The operator has deployed over 83,000 4G sites, out of which 74,000 are now operational using indigenous technology.

The minister also noted the rapid rollout of 5G services across the country. So far, 99.6 percent districts have been covered with more than 4.74 lakh 5G towers and 300 million users base. India also ranks in the top six countries in terms of 6G patent filing. “The world’s highest per person with 5G use -32 GB per month – India is performing strong technical leadership,” Scindia said.

Starlink Age: A new chapter

Now, Starlink entry adds a new dimension to India’s digital future, especially for areas that are beyond the reach of traditional fiber and cellular networks.

The satellite promises to bridge urban-rural division and improve connectivity in remote places such as mountainous regions, islands and border areas.

The aim of Starlink is to provide high speed, low-altony broadband to users across India, and now proceeding with a plan to install local gateway and ground stations, pending final spectrum allocation.

With the regulatory landscape now with clear and infrastructure support, India’s SATCom region is ready for rapid growth, which is already complementary to a large -scale mobile network.

As the country celebrates the three decades of mobile phone generation, it now looks forward for a future where the most remote corners are also digitally connected- Via Space.