The wait is finally over for Elon Musk’s satellite internet company, Starlink, as it has received a license to operate in India, becoming the third company to get such approval from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT). According to sources, Starlink will be given trial spectrum within 15 to 20 days after applying, which means the company can soon begin its services in India.

Starlink has been granted a Unified License, which covers services like GMPCS (satellite communication), VSAT, and ISP (Internet Service Provider) across the entire country. DoT officials also confirmed that Starlink has complied with the latest security rules for satellite services, which were recently updated by TRAI.

A letter of intent was issued to Starlink on May 7, and it includes certain terms and conditions the company must follow before starting full operations. First, the company has to meet its financial obligations. This includes,A non-refundable entry fee of about ₹1.6 crore and Bank guarantees worth ₹1.2 crore.

Starlink must clear all these formalities before receiving the full Unified License. After this, the next step will be getting an “In-Space Authorization” which is necessary for launching and operating their satellites over India.

An inter-ministerial meeting will soon be held to finalize this authorization. Once this happens, Starlink can officially begin offering high-speed satellite internet across India.

This marks a big step for India’s internet connectivity, especially in remote and rural areas, where regular broadband access is limited.