Satcom security clearance pending with Home Ministry, says Pemmasani
Minister of State for Communications Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani said the Department of Telecom has issued licences and provisional spectrum to all satcom operators, with only Home Ministry security clearance outstanding; at IMC, Sunil Bharti Mittal said OneWeb is also awaiting approvals.
New Delhi: Satellite broadband services in India now await a single remaining clearance, the government said on Thursday: security approval from the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Speaking on the sidelines of India Mobile Congress 2026, Minister of State for Communications Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani said the Department of Telecommunications had granted licences to all satcom companies along with provisional spectrum.
“Now the issue is pending with MHA for security clearance. As soon as it is cleared, they will get it. It has nothing to do with one company,” Pemmasani said (The Economic Times).
At the same event, Bharti Airtel chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal rebutted Elon Musk’s allegation that “certain oligarchs” had blocked Starlink’s entry into India, saying his own satcom venture Eutelsat OneWeb was also awaiting approvals. “We are waiting for our own approvals,” Mittal said (New Indian Express).
Reliance Jio Platforms managing director Akash Ambani refused to comment, saying he had not seen Musk’s remarks.
The remarks follow Musk’s posts on X on Wednesday accusing unnamed business interests of blocking Starlink in India, and a Thursday statement from the Ministry of Communications calling that claim “baseless and misconceived”.
Sources: The Economic Times, New Indian Express
More on this topic: all Satellite Internet stories
