Elon Musk’s satellite internet venture, Starlink, is preparing to conduct its spectrum test from the Navi Mumbai terminals, according to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT). The company also plans to establish 20 earth stations or gateways across India, with proposed locations in Noida, Chennai, and Navi Mumbai. Out of these, three sites are already under construction.
The gateway network is expected to require at least 50,000 user terminals, which will be imported from Texas, Los Angeles, and Seattle. Sources confirmed that Starlink received provisional or test spectrum on 12 August to proceed with its trials. This development comes even as the DoT and the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India continue discussions on regulatory matters related to spectrum pricing.
Starlink had earlier been granted trial spectrum to build ground infrastructure and conduct security compliance checks in the country. The company also holds a Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite (GMPCS) licence, along with authorisations from the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACE) to operate its satellite services in India.
In July, Union Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia announced that Starlink had been granted a licence to officially launch satellite internet services in the country. He also stated that a framework for spectrum allocation and gateway establishment had been finalised to enable a smooth rollout. “Starlink has been granted a Unified License to launch satellite internet services in India. Frameworks for spectrum allocation and gateway establishment are ready, ensuring smooth rollout,” Scindia said.
Alongside Starlink, other major players such as Bharti Group-backed Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio SES are also awaiting spectrum allocation to begin their satellite communication services in India.
In another step towards its India entry, Starlink has partnered with the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) to use Aadhaar-based authentication for customer verification. With its current capacity, the company can onboard up to 20 lakh customers in India. The integration of Aadhaar verification is seen as a strong alignment between India’s trusted digital identity system and advanced satellite internet technology.
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