Starlink, OneWeb and Jio Hold Satcom Licences in India but Await Security Clearance and Spectrum Price
Starlink, Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio Satellite Communications are licensed, but launch depends on security clearance and a spectrum price still being finalised.
Starlink, Jio Satellite Communications and Eutelsat OneWeb hold licences to offer satellite internet in India, but none can start service yet. Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said at India Mobile Congress 2026 on 9 October that each licensee can begin operations only after it individually meets security conditions. Amazon's Project Kuiper is seeking a licence too.
Two steps stand between a licence and a launch: security clearance for each company, and an assignment of spectrum, the radio waves used for satcom services. The price of that spectrum is still being decided. Scindia said the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) were “close to taking the final decision.” He also said a TRAI recommendation does not mean an announcement follows the next day.
Licences are in place, but launch waits on two approvals
Scindia announced Starlink's authorisation on 31 July 2025, saying a framework for spectrum allocation was in place for a smooth rollout. The announcement came at a Mobile Conclave marking 30 years of mobile telephony in New Delhi. At that time, Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio's satellite venture were still awaiting spectrum allocation. The October statements make clear that a licence alone does not allow service to start.
Licences are in place, but none of the three operators can start service until it clears security and receives spectrum.
The sequence so far runs from TRAI's recommendation in May 2025 to Starlink's authorisation in July 2025, the Digital Communications Commission's (DCC) reported approval of most TRAI recommendations in September 2026, and Scindia's remarks on 9 October. Those remarks came about five weeks after the DCC decision, and the Cabinet step is still ahead.
Security clearance is decided company by company
Scindia said the DoT does not make the security determination. The Ministry of Home Affairs must confirm that each operator has met the security requirements before it can start, and each company is assessed individually. Each operator's clearance is therefore a separate decision.
Indian Infrastructure reports that a second stage of security clearance from security agencies is required before launch, alongside spectrum allocation. No individual security clearance has been announced.
ETV Bharat and Indian Infrastructure both report that Starlink, Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio Satellite Communications were granted permission to begin services. Both also list spectrum allocation and security clearance as steps that remain before launch, and Scindia has said operations wait on each company's security conditions.
The reports say service cannot start without both spectrum allocation and security clearance.
Spectrum will be assigned administratively, not auctioned
Scindia confirmed that spectrum will be assigned administratively rather than auctioned, and said he had explained the choice “at great length” when he took charge of the ministry in 2024. TRAI recommended in May 2025 that satellite operators pay 4% of adjusted gross revenue (AGR), the revenue base the charge applies to. 17 months later, the pricing decision is still pending.
The DoT has proposed a higher rate. Broadcast and Cable reports a spectrum usage charge of 5% of AGR, with 4% for services in government-notified remote, hilly, island and border zones. ETV Bharat also gives 5% as the DoT's proposal. Broadcast and Cable reports that the DCC approved the 5% levy at its 3 September meeting. ETV Bharat and Indian Infrastructure report that the DCC reportedly approved most, though not all, of TRAI's recommendations.
Broadcast and Cable reports that the DoT is finalising a note for the Cabinet. ETV Bharat reports that the DoT will approach the Cabinet for final approval on pricing and the allocation process, and that TRAI recommended in May 2025 that spectrum be allotted for five years, extendable by another two years. A Cabinet decision has not been announced.
What the charges mean for operators
The spectrum charge is a percentage of each operator's AGR, so the amount an operator pays moves with its revenue. The proposed rate is 5%, reduced to 4% for services in notified zones. Broadcast and Cable adds an annual licence fee of 8% of AGR, for a combined levy of 13%, or 12% in notified hard-to-reach areas.
Reports differ on whether TRAI's urban surcharge survives. ETV Bharat reports that TRAI recommended a minimum annual spectrum charge of ₹3,500 per MHz and a further ₹500 a year per subscriber in urban areas, with no extra levy in rural areas. Broadcast and Cable says the DoT dropped the urban surcharge and rural subsidies from TRAI's proposal in favour of a single rate with a geography-based concession, citing the difficulty of separating urban and rural subscribers. Costs of this kind can affect the prices operators set for customers, though no retail price has been announced.
ETV Bharat also reports that TRAI recommended subsidies for user terminals in underserved rural and remote areas, where hardware costs range from ₹20,000 to ₹50,000. Broadcast and Cable reports indicative pricing points for SpaceX's satcom arm, but no retail price for satellite internet has been announced for any of the operators.
Licences are in place, but none of the three operators can start service until it clears security and receives spectrum.
Where Starlink, Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio stand
Starlink received its authorisation in July 2025, and MediaNama lists it among the three licensed operators. Its launch still depends on spectrum assignment and security clearance, and no launch date has been announced.
Eutelsat OneWeb, which is backed by the Bharti Group, was still awaiting spectrum allocation in July 2025. The DCC reports name it among the companies granted permission to begin services, and it too needs security clearance and spectrum before launch.
Jio Satellite Communications, the satellite arm of Reliance Industries, is also listed among the licensed operators. Its launch depends on the same two steps.
Amazon's Project Kuiper is an applicant seeking a licence under the same procedures, according to MediaNama. No decision on its application has been reported.
All three are at a similar stage of approval, with spectrum assignment, security clearance and the Cabinet decision on pricing still to come.
What has not yet been announced
Five items remain open: the Cabinet decision on pricing, security clearance for each operator, a framework notification for the wider satellite sector, the final per-unit charges, and a retail price for subscribers. None has been given a date.
Broadcast and Cable lists the remaining steps in order: Cabinet approval, formal spectrum assignment, security clearance from the Ministry of Home Affairs, and a framework notification for the wider sector. It also reports that pricing certainty would remove uncertainty from vendor negotiations, while commercial launch timing depends on the security review.
