Starlink’s internet service is not active in India, Elon Musk gave information

On receiving the devices of satellite internet service Starlink in the country, the owner of this company Elon Musk has said that this service is inactive in India. In the last few weeks, two Starlink devices have been recovered. One of these devices has been found by the Army in Manipur, a northeastern state facing violence.

Starlink had sought permission from the Central Government to provide satellite broadband service. For this reason, this company is trying to remove any apprehension regarding security. “Starlink’s satellite internet service is not available in India,” Musk said in a post on social media platform X. The Indian Army had said that weapons, a satellite dish and receiver with Starlink logo were seized during a search operation in Manipur last week. Two army officers with knowledge of this search operation, on the condition of anonymity, said that the device with the Starlik logo was being used by a militant organization.

There is a suspicion that this device has been smuggled from Myanmar bordering Manipur. It was said in some media reports that rebel groups in Myanmar are using Starlink devices. However, Starlink’s service is also not available in Myanmar. Recently, Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia had said that the central government will allocate this spectrum as per global trends. However, he also said that the final notification in this regard will be issued after receiving feedback from TRAI.

Telecom companies require security clearance as well as approval from several ministries to start satellite internet services. Last year, Reliance Jio had said that it has connected four remote areas with its JioSpaceFiber service. These fields are Gir in Gujarat, Korba in Chhattisgarh, Nabarangpur in Odisha and Jorhat in Assam, ONGC said. Some foreign internet service companies had demanded license for this spectrum. Analysts believe that if there is an auction for this spectrum, more investment may have to be made. This may reduce the interest of foreign companies.