Elon Musk’s Starlink is moving closer to starting its satellite Internet operations in India. The company has started the hiring process and operational planning following regulatory clearances earlier this year.
The SpaceX-backed company has begun recruiting for key finance and compliance positions in Bengaluru, including accounting manager, payments manager, senior treasury analyst, and tax manager roles, according to its career portal and LinkedIn listings. All roles are on-site, reflecting the company’s plan to maintain close control over financial reporting and statutory compliance in India.
Starlink has also leased office space in Mumbai’s Chandivali area, establishing its first physical presence in the country. The office will act as an operational hub for pilot trials and coordination with government departments. The company is currently conducting technical and security demonstrations for the department of telecommunications (DoT) and security agencies as part of its pre-launch requirements.
In July, Starlink completed its licensing process after securing a Global Mobile Personal Communications by Satellite (GMPCS) licence from the DoT and authorisation from the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe). It is now one of three satcom operators licensed in India, alongside Eutelsat OneWeb and Reliance Jio-SES.
The company is awaiting spectrum allocation, which officials expect to be finalised by the end of the year. The DoT is likely to issue temporary trial spectrum for security testing, while the final allocation will depend on the government’s decision on recommendations from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) regarding satellite spectrum pricing and assignment.
Starlink plans to begin operations under a two-million user cap and adopt a phased rollout structure. The firm intends to build nine gateway earth stations and a local command-and-control centre to manage its network and comply with national security requirements. Applications have been filed to set up ground stations in major cities, including Mumbai, Noida, Chandigarh, Kolkata, and Lucknow.
The service will initially focus on enterprise and government clients, with consumer offerings expected to follow. Pricing has not been announced, but industry estimates suggest monthly plans between Rs 3,000 and Rs 7,000, with a one-time hardware cost of Rs 20,000–35,000.
While Starlink will compete directly with Eutelsat OneWeb and Reliance Jio-SES in the upcoming satellite internet market, it also has marketing and distribution pacts with these two firms.
