A fierce debate over spectrum allocation and pricing has erupted in India after authorities granted a licence to Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet service.
Industry players and analysts have raised concerns about potential predatory pricing and whether satellite spectrum should be auctioned or allocated administratively. The issue has taken on added urgency with SpaceX owner Musk clashing with Asia’s richest man, Mukesh Ambani, whose Jio Platforms is India’s largest telecom provider.
The licence approval was announced by India’s communications minister Jyotiraditya Scindia after a meeting with Gwynne Shotwell, president and chief operating officer of Starlink parent company SpaceX.
Shotwell welcomed the decision, calling it “a great start to the journey”, according to Scindia’s post on Musk-owned social media platform X late Tuesday.
Two of India’s biggest telecom players — Jio Platforms and rival Bharti Airtel — had already struck deals with SpaceX in March to offer Starlink services to customers.
The entry of Starlink is seen as opening India’s “next frontier of connectivity”, offering high-speed internet to remote areas via low Earth orbit satellites. However, the regulatory and market debates surrounding its rollout are expected to intensify in the coming months.
While Musk’s direct business interests in India are so far limited to X, his electric vehicle company Tesla is also preparing to enter the Indian market. – With inputs from AFP/RSS
