Starlink plans nine gateway earth stations in major Indian cities. [Photo: Reuters]
The US satellite internet provider Starlink is ramping up its infrastructure in India. The company plans to set up nine gateway earth stations in major cities, including Mumbai, Noida, Chandigarh, Kolkata and Lucknow.
These stations will link Starlink’s low-Earth-orbit satellites to India’s internet backbone ahead of a full commercial launch.
According to officials, Starlink has applied for 600 gigabit-per-second capacity over India via its Gen 1 satellite constellation. The spectrum has been assigned on a provisional basis for demonstrating security and compliance.
Only 100 user terminals are allowed to be imported for now, and only fixed satellite services may be tested.
Because satellite communication (satcom) is considered a critical infrastructure, Indian authorities have imposed strict conditions. Foreign nationals are currently barred from operating the gateway stations. “For now, only Indian nationals will be allowed to operate these stations,” an official said.
Starlink must also store its data generated during the testing phase within India and share terminal deployment details — including name, address and geo-coordinates — with the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and security agencies every fortnight.
This build-out is a new angle on India’s satellite internet push. While many players are focused on rural or enterprise connectivity, Starlink appears to be positioning for wider consumer service backed by global infrastructure.
With the nine gateway stations planned, India may gain one of the most advanced satellite broadband networks in the world — if the compliance and security conditions are met.
Starlink still cannot commercially launch in India until it satisfies all the compliance checks and is assigned a full spectrum. A senior official noted: “Any regular spectrum assignment will be subject to the policies, including authorisation framework, spectrum pricing mechanism, etc., prevalent during or after the expiry of the security compliance period.”
There is also the backdrop of earlier concerns: illegal Starlink terminals were seized in border areas such as Manipur and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, raising red flags among security agencies.
Starlink’s planned network of nine gateway stations across India signals a major push into the country’s satellite internet space. With high-capacity spectrum applied for, strict security conditions and an infrastructure build-out in motion, the angle to watch is how quickly this global player pivots from demonstration to service — and whether it changes how millions connect to the internet in India.
