Will Starlink's India Entry Be A Smooth One? Centre Sets Conditions For Elon Musk's Satellite Internet Company

The entry of Starlink, the Elon Musk-led satellite internet company in India, looks much closer than ever before. This came to pass after two of the biggest telecom companies in India, Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel, signed pacts with the company for high-speed, low-latency internet in India.

Starlink In India

However, questions still remain unanswered. Starlink has been stuck in the dearth of the required regulatory approvals in the country. It has been vying to get into the market, which for starters will be a tough one, given Starlink's pricing.

The road ahead also looked a bit nebulous when the country's IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, after sharing a post welcoming Starlink in India, deleted the post, raising questions on the progress the company has made on getting regulatory approvals.

Control Centre In India

Now, another challenge appears to have been mounted by the Indian government. As per a report from the Times of India, the centre has asked SpaceX, the company responsible for Starlink to set up control centres in India.

And the reason for this is also abstruse. The government reportedly wants access to such a system to regulate the network, and most importantly shutdown the internet, during times of purported turbulence.

The centre, as per the report said that the suspension of communications services in areas that are sensitive and disturbed is to preserve peace and order.

Internet Shutdowns

The government said that it wants to have to go to the US or a far away destination, just to the internet off, when it wants to.

It is to be noted that India has a notoriety for being the country with one of the most internet shutdowns globally.

In fact, in 2024, Myanmar, a war-torn country narrowly surpassed India for having the most internet shutdowns. This is an infamous crown, that India had before in 2023.

It remains to be seen how Musk reacts to this demand, as he the SpaceX boss has often positioned himself as a free speech absolutist, in the past.