Delay in Starlink’s satcom license likely as DoT seeks clarity

With the communications ministry now seeking clarity from the Department for Promotion of Industry & Internal Trade (DPIIT) about mandatory ownership disclosure rules, approvals to Elon Musk-owned Starlink for starting satcom services in India may get delayed.  

DPIIT had in 2020 amended the foreign investment policy to make prior government approval mandatory for inflows from countries sharing a land border with India through Press Note 3.  The amendment requires all foreign investors to share complete shareholding details so as to check if there are any investors from countries sharing a land border with India, like China. 

Starlink, however, has refused to reveal full shareholding details of parent SpaceX, claiming that the latter being an unlisted entity, US privacy laws bar from making a full disclosure on this score, officials aware of the matter said. 

“SpaceX has only given a declaration that none of its investors are from are from countries, which share a land border with India,” a senior official said. “The company has requested that this declaration be accepted for granting approval for the GMPCS (global mobile personal communication by satellite services) licence.” 

But the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) wants clarity on whether approval should be given to Starlink based on its declaration, or if full details must be be sought from SpaceX before issuing a GMPCS permit, officials said.