SpaceX’s Starlink has no licence to operate in India and the public should steer clear until it does, say lawmakers

• The Indian government has said SpaceX’s Starlink has no license to operate in the country.
• Despite this, Starlink is taking pre-bookings for its satellite-internet service, per officials.
• Elon Musk’s company told Reuters that it had no comment on the situation “for now.”

Indian lawmakers said Elon Musk’s Starlink internet service has no licence to operate in the country, despite taking pre-bookings from customers.

A statement posted on a government website urged the company to fully comply with government regulations.

Reuters and local outlets in India first reported on the news. 

The statement said: “Department of Telecommunications, Ministry of Communications, Government of India has pointed out that ‘Starlink Internet Services’ is not licensed to offer satellite-based internet services in India being advertised to the public.”

It added: “It is hereby informed to the public at large that the said company has not obtained any license/authorization for rendering satellite-based internet services that are being booked on their website.”

SpaceX, of which Starlink is a subsidiary, did not immediately reply to Insider’s request for comment. However, it told Reuters that it had “no comment for now” on the situation. 

Insider’s Kate Duffy reported earlier this month that Starlink is looking to deploy 200,000 user terminals in India by December 2022. The country’s director for Starlink wrote in a LinkedIn post that he was “pleased to share that SpaceX now has a 100% owned subsidiary in India.”

Meanwhile, Insider reported on Thursday that Starlink had apologized for delays in sending out internet kits preordered by customers, which it blamed on silicon shortages. 

Starlink provides high-speed, low-latency broadband internet to customers around the world. It describes its service as ideal for remote or rural communities where connectivity has been unreliable or unavailable.