New Delhi: SpaceX’s satellite internet service, Starlink, plans to set up nine gateway earth stations in major Indian cities, including Mumbai, Noida, Chandigarh, Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Lucknow, according to a report by The Economic Times. These stations will help prepare for the launch of Starlink’s satellite internet services in India.
An official told The Economic Times that the company has applied for 600 gigabit per second capacity over India through its Gen 1 satellite constellation, and that the spectrum has been provisionally assigned to demonstrate security-related compliances.
Security concerns
The Elon Musk-owned company has been given temporary permission to use some radio spectrum to test its systems and meet security requirements. It has also been allowed to import 100 satellite terminals for testing, but not for commercial use yet.
Given that satcom can be sensitive for national security, the government has set strict rules. Starlink must ensure that:
Only Indian nationals operate the ground stations until foreign staff get security clearance.
Data from the tests stays within India.
Details of all equipment used are shared regularly with the authorities.
Starlink is the third company, after OneWeb and Jio Satellite, to get permission for such security tests. None of them can start full operations until security agencies approve.
Illegal Starlink devices in India
Earlier this year, authorities found illegal Starlink devices being used in border areas like Manipur and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which raised security concerns. However, Musk rejected the claims of Starlink devices being used in Manipur. He said in a post on X, “This is false. Starlink satellite beams are turned off over India.”
Starlink is gearing up for a late 2025 or early 2026 launch in India after obtaining key government approvals.
