Advertisement Elon Musk’s Starlink is all set to enter India’s growing satellite internet space. Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia confirmed. | Image: Republic Business In a major development for India’s telecom landscape, Elon Musk’s Starlink is all set to become the third satellite internet company to receive a license from the Indian government, joining the ranks of Reliance Jio and Bharti’s OneWeb. On Thursday, Minister for Communications Jyotiraditya Scindia confirmed this during a press interaction. “In the coming days, the third license will be provided,” he said, referring to Starlink. He further added, “And after this, the government will provide the spectrum. Subsequently, satellite telecom services will be fully operational in the country at a rapid pace. I am sure the customer base in India will grow substantially.” Describing the broader transformation in India’s telecom sector, Scindia said, “Starlink’s satellite connectivity is like a new flower in the telecom bouquet.” He highlighted how far the telecom ecosystem has come, “Earlier, there was only a fixed line. Today, there is mobile connectivity and broadband connectivity. Optical fibre connectivity has also come in. Along with these, satellite connectivity is also very important.” Scindia also pointed out the critical role satellite services will play in boosting internet access in remote areas, “Internet penetration can only be increased through satellite communication services, especially in remote areas where laying wires and installing towers would be difficult.” Starlink Joins Hands with Jio and Airtel After initially opposing the administrative allocation of spectrum to Starlink, both Jio and Airtel have now entered partnerships with the American satellite company to expand their connectivity offerings. These partnerships are aimed at leveraging Starlink’s advanced satellite technology alongside Jio and Airtel’s deep market reach. "The pact between Jio and SpaceX enables the companies to explore how Starlink can extend Jio’s offerings and how Jio can complement SpaceX’s direct offerings to consumers and businesses." This collaboration hopes to combine Jio’s position as the world’s largest mobile operator in terms of data traffic and Starlink’s status as the leading low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite operator, ensuring high-speed broadband even in India’s most remote areas.