Centre also tells State governments to halt their projects with Starlink till the company gets a green signal
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The Centre has admonished senior officials of Elon Musk-owned Starlink in India, making it clear that the company cannot sign memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with States without first obtaining a licence from the government.
States, which have signed such MoUs, have also been warned by the Centre not to initiate any projects with Starlink until the satellite company gets the required licence to operate in India, sources in the know told businessline.
Over the last one year, States such as Goa, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Meghalaya in the North-East, have signed agreements with Starlink for providing satellite-based Internet connectivity in their regions.
Maharashtra was the first State to sign a letter of intent (LoI) with Starlink in November 2025. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had said the agreement would help connect government institutions, rural communities and critical public infrastructure across remote and underserved regions of the State.
In February this year, the Gujarat government exchanged an LoI with Starlink for mutual cooperation in high-speed satellite-based Internet connectivity in remote, border and underserved areas of the State.
The Meghalaya government, too, signed anMoU with Starlink India in April. Chief Minister Conrad Sangma said the agreement would extend connectivity to schools, health centres and rural communities in parts of the State that ground-based telecom infrastructure had not reached.
Fiat to States
The Centre has now told these States to halt all their talks till Starlink gets the required clearances, sources in the government said.
“The Centre has questioned the company on how it could sign agreements with State governments without a licence. It has also told States that have signed LoIs/MoUs with Starlink, and warned others, not to proceed without a go-ahead from the Centre,”an official privy of the matter told businessline.
Sources said the government was still examining all the security aspects of satellite-based communications, especially with bordering States including in the North East where the technology could be misused by insurgent groups. “The government wants the technology to be fool proof and some related commitments from Starlink before it issues a license,” the sources added.
Queries sent to Starlink India did not elicit any response till the time of press.
According to reports, Starlink has recently reapplied for a fresh application to the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe), the country’s space regulator, seeking authorisation for its Gen 2 constellation, which will operate at an altitude of 340-615 km in Low Earth Orbit (LEO).
Musk posted on X on Friday suggesting that the company can provide connectivity in the least-served and rural areas in Indiahinterlands of India. “Starlink would help the least served in India, especially in rural areas,” he said even as the company continues to struggle with required approvals to start its operations in India.
Published on August 23, 2026