No final security clearance yet for Starlink, OneWeb and Jio in India

Starlink, Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio Satellite Communications all hold Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite licences. None can start commercial service until the Ministry of Home Affairs grants final security clearance and spectrum is assigned.

Starlink says build-out is ready

Starlink has completed the infrastructure and operational preparations needed to launch in India, Lauren Dreyer, SpaceX vice-president for Starlink business operations, said at India Mobile Congress on Tuesday. The company has built around 20 gateway sites with hundreds of antennas and keeps Indian user data in the country, she said. It still awaits security and foreign-investment approvals, and its FDI proposal was pending as of 8 October, India Today reported.

No final clearance for any licensee

No operator has received final security clearance from the Ministry of Home Affairs. OneWeb submitted its compliance documents first, Jio Satellite Communications followed and Starlink finished last, according to government sources cited by ANI. Early filing has not produced an early clearance.

Security requirements include routing Indian traffic through domestic gateways, data centres and lawful interception systems inside India, and the ability to restrict services in particular locations or to specific users. Authorities have examined whether inter-satellite links could let traffic bypass domestic gateways; the government wants Indian traffic routed through gateways within India, Swadeshi Jagran Manch's Ashwani Mahajan said.

Sunil Mittal, chairman of Bharti Airtel, which backs Eutelsat OneWeb, said at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum 2026 that OneWeb's ground network had been ready for three years and its satellites had been over India for five years, but it still lacked permission. Reliance said Jio's own satellite services await clearances.

Spectrum and authorisation

The security checks are separate from spectrum pricing. The Department of Telecommunications has proposed a spectrum usage charge of 5% of adjusted gross revenue, with an incentive for operators serving remote areas. The proposal was still awaiting Union Cabinet approval as of 8 October, India Today reported. TRAI had recommended 4% of adjusted gross revenue in mid-2025, plus an annual Rs 500 charge per urban subscriber, with rural customers exempt.

TRAI on 5 November 2026 issued recommendations for a satellite network provider authorisation framework. The proposed model would let companies share infrastructure and support direct-to-device connectivity. It is a proposal, not a clearance.

Why the delay matters

More than 11,000 villages still lacked 4G coverage as of May 2026, according to a report cited by The Wave Andaman. Satellite broadband could reach areas where terrestrial networks are difficult or uneconomical to deploy, Dreyer said.

What happens next

The Ministry of Home Affairs has not said when the security checks will conclude. Dreyer said she was optimistic Starlink would receive the remaining approvals before the next India Mobile Congress.