The move is part of Starlink’s plan in rolling out satellite-based broadband services across India after strict regulatory testing.
India’s satellite broadband race is gaining pace as Elon Musk’s Starlink moves closer to commercial rollout. The company plans to set up nine gateway earth stations across key Indian cities, including Mumbai, Noida, Chandigarh, Kolkata, and Lucknow, as part of its infrastructure buildout for satellite internet service.
These gateways will serve as ground links between Starlink’s low-earth orbit satellite network and India’s terrestrial communication systems. The company has applied for 600 GB/s of satellite capacity under its first-gen constellation.
The government has set strict security conditions for the tests. Only Indian nationals are allowed to operate the gateway stations until foreign experts receive security clearance from the Ministry of Home Affairs. The company must store all data collected during the tests within India and share regular updates with the DoT and security agencies every two weeks.
Authorities can inspect the equipment and access data at any time. Starlink must also set up a control and monitoring centre in India and ensure that all satellite traffic to and from the country passes through Indian gateways.
Starlink is the third company, after Eutelsat OneWeb and Reliance Jio Satellite, to receive permission for such testing. None of the three firms has secured approval from the security agencies. The stricter checks follow incidents last year where unauthorised Starlink devices were found operating in border areas, prompting tighter government oversight of satellite communications.
