Elon Musk’s Starlink is only a few months away from beaming its services to India, and ahead of that, the SpaceX-backed company has started recruiting local talent to ensure a smooth flow of operations. The hiring campaign, primarily focused on building a robust local financial and compliance team, hints that the company is ready to rollout its commercial operations by early 2026.
Starlink has posted openings for several high-level finance and accounting positions on its careers portal and professional networking sites. These roles, including Accounting Manager, Payments Manager, Senior Treasury Analyst, and Tax Manager, are all based out of Bengaluru – a city that is set to serve as Starlink’s key operational hub in India.
The company has specified that all positions are on-site, with no remote or hybrid options available. This local team will be crucial in developing and scaling the accounting, reporting, and statutory compliance systems required to support Starlink’s India operations, which is adopting a slightly different model compared to other markets.
Starlink India readies itself for kickstarting operations
This hiring push coincides with Starlink’s crucial final steps in meeting India’s stringent regulatory requirements for beaming satellite internet services. The company is actively establishing its ground infrastructure and conducting security and technical demonstrations for officials, including the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and law enforcement agencies.
These tests are mandatory to ensure compliance with the requirements for lawful interception and security before the final spectrum allocation is granted for the Global Mobile Personal Communications by Satellite (GMPCS) license.
To support its low-latency service, Starlink plans to set up an extensive network of gateway earth stations. The company has already applied for permission to open multiple ground stations across the country, with reports indicating a plan for up to nine locations in key cities, including Mumbai, Noida, Chandigarh, Kolkata, and Lucknow.
Furthermore, the company has leased office space in Mumbai, establishing a physical base for its initial rollout.
Security remains a key focus for Indian regulators. Starlink is currently complying with government directives that require all data generated during the trial period to be stored locally. Moreover, the DoT has mandated that only Indian nationals operate the gateway stations until any foreign technical experts receive final security clearances from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.
Once operational, Starlink will face direct competition from established players like Bharti-backed Eutelsat OneWeb and Reliance Jio’s Jio Satellite.
