Title: Starlink Struggles to Receive Commercial Licences in India, Customers Asked for Refunds

Byline: Pierre Herubel, January 4, 2022, 11:37 PM

Image: Reuters

Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk’s Starlink, a division of SpaceX, has been informed by the Indian government to refund all pre-orders until it obtains the necessary licences to operate in the country. The company has already received over 5,000 pre-orders in India but is facing difficulties without the required commercial licences.

In an email sent to one of its customers, Starlink stated, “As has always been the case, you can receive a refund at any time.” The company has expressed uncertainty about the timeline for receiving the licences and highlighted the need to resolve several issues with the licensing framework before it can offer Starlink services in India.

Starlink is part of a growing trend where companies are launching small satellites in low-Earth orbit networks to provide broadband internet services globally, especially in remote areas where traditional internet infrastructure is insufficient. However, the Indian government has advised against subscribing to Starlink without a licence and has instructed the company to cease taking bookings and providing services.

The company’s country head, Sanjay Bhargava, previously announced plans to apply for a commercial licence by the end of January, with a projected roll-out of 200,000 Starlink devices in India by December 2022. However, Bhargava recently announced his resignation as country director and board chairman for personal reasons.

Starlink faces competition from other satellite internet providers such as Amazon’s Kuiper and OneWeb, which was revived by the British government and India’s Bharti Group after bankruptcy.

Despite the challenges, Starlink remains committed to bringing its services to India as soon as possible. The company is working towards resolving the licensing issues and obtaining the necessary approvals to offer its satellite internet services in the country.