Telegram Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia announced today that he held a “productive meeting” with Gwynne Shotwell, President and Chief Operating Officer of SpaceX, who expressed appreciation for the license recently granted to Starlink in India. Starlink, an Elon Musk-owned company, aims to provide high-speed internet access to remote locations using its low Earth orbit satellite constellation. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Minister Scindia stated, “Had a productive meeting with @Gwynne_Shotwell, President & COO of @SpaceX, on India’s next frontier in connectivity. We delved into opportunities for collaboration in satellite communications to power Digital India’s soaring ambitions and empower every citizen across the country.” Scindia emphasized the transformative role of satellite technologies in India’s digital revolution under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership. He added that Shotwell “appreciated the license granted to Starlink, calling it a great start to the journey.” Earlier this month, Starlink finally secured a satcom license in India, specifically a Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite (GMPCS) permit from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT). This paves the way for the company to offer its commercial services, potentially by late this year or early next year. Reliable sources indicate that Starlink is also set to receive trial spectrum in the coming days, having fulfilled all security compliance requirements outlined in its letter of intent (LoI). With this approval, Starlink becomes the third satcom company to obtain a GMPCS permit in India, following Eutelsat’s OneWeb and Jio-SES. Before the satellite-based internet service can be allocated spectrum, Starlink still requires approval from the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe), to which it has already submitted the necessary documents. The initial DoT approval was contingent on Starlink agreeing to comply with India’s new national security guidelines for satcom operators. These guidelines, announced by the Department, include 29 additional requirements such as mandatory interception and monitoring mechanisms, the use of local data centers, location tracking for mobile user terminals, and various localization mandates for both existing and prospective satcom licensees. Share