Elon Musk-backed Starlink broadband pre-booking could be blocked in India as company faces regulatory hurdles

An online report has noted that Starlink does not have its own ground or earth stations in India nor satellite frequency authorisation from ISRO and the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) required to offer beta services in the country.

Elon-Musk backed space broadband company Starlink opened its services for pre-booking in India in late February. The company is now facing hurdles from India’s regulatory bodies which have noted that the company has not complied with its guidelines. This could result in the closing of pre-bookings for Starlink broadband at least until it gets a green signal from the authorities. Starlink broadband was slated to roll out in India in 2022. The Broadband India Forum (BIF) has reportedly asked the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India TRAI and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to block Elon Musk-backed SpaceX Technologies from pre-selling the beta version of its Starlink satellite internet services in India.