India has approved Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet service to operate in the country, but only after the company agreed to stringent data security and localisation requirements that will keep all Indian user information within national borders.
Minister of State for Communications Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar confirmed the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has granted Starlink Satellite Communications Private Limited a Unified License following the company’s acceptance of strict operational conditions.
The security requirements mandate that Starlink establish earth station gateways within India to handle all satellite-to-user communications domestically. Under the terms of the permit, no Indian user traffic can be routed through gateways located outside the country.
“The security conditions include the establishment of earth station gateway in India for providing satellite-based communication services with no user traffic originating from or destined for India to be routed through any gateway located outside India,” the minister said.
The rules also explicitly prohibit Starlink from copying or decrypting Indian user data overseas, and ban the company from mirroring traffic to any systems or servers located abroad.
The approval follows recommendations from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on spectrum allocation and pricing for satellite-based services, which were submitted to the government in May.
The minister described satellite broadband as an emerging sector expected to generate significant employment opportunities across installation, operation, and maintenance of telecommunications networks, as well as user terminal equipment deployment.
The data sovereignty safeguards signal the regulatory framework that all satellite internet providers will need to comply with to operate in India’s market. Starlink will still require spectrum assignment and must operationalise its Indian gateways before launching commercial services.
The approval represents a significant milestone for India’s satellite internet sector, with Starlink’s entry expected to intensify competition in providing connectivity to rural and remote areas where traditional broadband infrastructure remains limited.
The emphasis on domestic gateways is also anticipated to drive associated infrastructure investments as Starlink establishes the necessary ground-based facilities to comply with India’s data localisation requirements.
