Starlink in India: Better access needs clearer answers

India’s satellite internet debate should be judged by what it delivers to customers: reliable connections, affordable prices and a fair choice of providers. The increasingly personal dispute between Elon Musk and Mukesh Ambani has drawn attention to Starlink’s delayed launch. It has offered fewer answers about when households and businesses can use it.

Competition and security requirements both deserve serious consideration. A new provider should have a fair opportunity to enter the market, while every applicant should meet the rules governing its service. Neither principle requires accepting unsupported allegations or leaving the approval process unexplained.

For customers, the practical questions remain straightforward. What still needs approval, who must act next, and what will the service eventually cost?

What remains to be approved

Musk has accused powerful business interests of blocking Starlink and singled out Ambani, with no evidence furnished against the Reliance chairman. That allegation cannot be treated as an established explanation for the delay.

India’s Ministry of Communications said last week that security assessments were under way for all three licensed satellite operators. Starlink, Jio Satellite Communications and Bharti-backed Eutelsat OneWeb were at broadly the same regulatory stage, according to the ministry.

Starlink already holds a telecommunications licence. Commercial service still requires compliance with security conditions and assignment of spectrum, the radio frequencies used to deliver connections. Describing the dispute simply as a refusal to grant a licence misses that important distinction.

Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia has also said a decision on spectrum pricing is close. This separates policy the government must finalise from requirements each company must meet. Clearer information about those stages would help explain where progress depends on official decisions and where it depends on applicants.

Partners as well as competitors

The commercial relationships also deserve attention. Airtel announced an agreement with SpaceX in March last year, and Jio followed a day later. Both arrangements depended on Starlink receiving the necessary authorisations.

Airtel said the partnership would explore selling Starlink equipment through its stores and connecting businesses, schools and health centres. Such arrangements could help reach customers. They also show that companies can cooperate on distribution while maintaining competing satellite interests.

The agreements do not establish whether obstruction occurred. They do make the competitive picture more complex than a confrontation between a foreign entrant and domestic rivals. Customer choice will depend partly on how the services are sold, compared and supported.

Approval is therefore only part of the test. Customers should be able to understand whether they can buy directly, what different packages include and what changing providers would involve. More licensed operators will matter most if they offer useful, accessible alternatives.

What customers will actually pay

Indian multinational technology company Zoho’s Co-Founder and Chief Scientist Sridhar Vembu has defended India’s inexpensive mobile internet, describing how he works through his phone connection while travelling. That experience is relevant to the debate. It cannot establish whether households elsewhere receive reliable service.

Price and availability are separate issues. A connection can offer good value where it works and provide little help where coverage is inadequate. Satellite internet could be useful in one location and an unnecessary expense in another.

The comparison should reflect those differences. A household with reliable broadband needs a reason to switch. A business or family poorly served by existing networks needs to know whether the new connection can meet its needs at a manageable cost.

In mid-2025, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India recommended spectrum charges of 4 per cent of adjusted gross revenue, plus Rs500 annually per urban subscriber for certain non-geostationary satellite broadband services. Rural and remote users would be exempt from that additional charge.

These were recommendations, rather than confirmation of the final charges. TRAI also suggested considering equipment subsidies for targeted users in underserved rural and remote areas. Those proposals cannot establish what Starlink customers will eventually pay.

The complete bill matters more than a promise of affordability. Equipment, installation, monthly subscriptions and contract conditions will determine who can benefit. A service aimed at improving access needs to be assessed against those costs, alongside its actual performance.

Security with a clear process

Security assessments should receive the same careful treatment. A pending review establishes that a process is unfinished, rather than proving wrongdoing. Commercial pressure for a faster launch does not justify bypassing requirements applied to other operators.

TRAI’s mid-2025 recommendations proposed assigning spectrum within 30 days of an application, subject to in-principle network clearance, or communicating objections within that period. This was not an unconditional deadline for approving Starlink. It offered a way to make one stage more predictable.

The priority should be clear requirements, consistent treatment and progress updates wherever security permits. Companies should provide evidence for their allegations, while authorities should explain the remaining steps. Customers will ultimately judge this process by whether it produces connections they can access, afford and rely on. That is the outcome public scrutiny should serve.