Starlink has one last obstacle to overcome before launching in India. SpaceX’s Starlink must fully comply with the Indian government’s security regulations, particularly regarding data storage.
“They have to check all the boxes,” stated India’s Communications minister, Jyotiraditya Scindia, to local media outlets.
Scindia added that Starlink will receive approval to operate in India “as long as they’re complying with all the conditions from a security perspective.” The Indian government allegedly has some lingering national security concerns regarding Starlink, reported Barron’s.
SpaceX is having difficulty setting up Starlink operations in India, similar to another Elon Musk-led company, Tesla.
Last month, the Indian government resolved another issue keeping Starlink from setting up operations. It decided to allot spectrum for satellite broadband administratively versus auctioning it.
Billionaire Mukesh Ambani had advocated for spectrum to be auctioned, arguing that it would even the playing field for satellite broadband services offered by local operators and companies outside India, like Starlink. Elon Musk criticized Ambani’s suggestion, stating that it would drastically differ from the rest of the world.
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