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Scindia Clarifies Satcom Rules After Elon Musk And Rahul Gandhi Exchange
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News18•09-10-2026, 13:16
Scindia Clarifies Satcom Rules After Elon Musk And Rahul Gandhi Exchange
- •Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia stated that satellite communication companies can begin operations only after fulfilling regulatory and security conditions.
- •Scindia criticized the Congress party for lacking clarity on the licensing of satellite internet services.
- •The Ministry of Communications confirmed that security assessments are currently underway for all three licensed entities.
- •Elon Musk had earlier questioned the delay in granting Starlink commercial approval in India despite five years of compliance.
- •The government maintains that spectrum assignment and commercial services depend on revenue-based charges and security clearances from the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Key Questions Answered
Commercial operations for satellite communication companies can begin only after the government decides the revenue-based charge system to assign spectrum and each company individually fulfills the mandatory security conditions and clearances.
The three companies that have been granted satellite communication licences by the government are Starlink, Bharti-backed Eutelsat OneWeb, and Jio Satellite Communications.
Elon Musk questioned the delay in granting Starlink approval for commercial operations, stating that the company had spent five years complying with every single law and requirement of the Indian government.
