Elon Musk's Starlink stops taking pre-orders in India

Starlink, the satellite internet division of billionaire Elon Musk's rocket company SpaceX, has stopped taking pre-order bookings in India just days after Department of Telecom warned the company to get license before offering services in the country and urged citizens 'not to subscribe to Starlink services being advertised.'

Currently, a notification on the website reads, “Starlink is not yet available in your area but as we launch more satellites, we continue to expand our coverage area. Please check back for future availability in your area." Earlier, the website was accepting pre-orders for satellite broadband connection service for a refundable deposit of $99.

However, last week, the ministry pointed out that 'Starlink Internet Services' is not licensed to offer satellite-based internet services in India being advertised to the public. The Ministry of Communications also highlighted that Starlink has started pre-selling/booking of the satellite based Starlink Internet Services in India. The same is also evident from the website of Starlink (www.starlink.com) wherein satellite based internet services can be booked by users in Indian territory, it added.

In November, SpaceX's Starlink unit registered its business in India, company documents filed with the government showed.

Elon Musk's Starlink is one of a growing number of companies launching small satellites as part of a low-Earth orbiting network. In India, Starlink plans to "carry on the business of telecommunication services" including satellite broadband internet services, content storage and streaming, multi-media communication, among others, according to the company filing.

It will also deal in devices such as satellite phones, network equipment, wired and wireless communication devices, as well as data transmission and reception equipment, it said.

Once it is allowed to provide services, Starlink will, in the first phase, give 100 devices for free to schools in Delhi and nearby rural districts. It will then target 12 rural districts across India.

The company earlier said that it aims to have 200,000 Starlink devices in India by December 2022, 80 per cent of which will be in rural districts. Starlink has already received over 5,000 pre-orders for its devices in India.