Taking a step towards granting approval to Starlink, the Centre has issued a letter of intent to the Elon Musk-owned satellite internet services provider, according to a report by news agency PTI.
Starlink, developed by SpaceX, provides high-speed, low-latency broadband internet worldwide using satellite technology.
Sources told PTI that the Department of Telecom (DoT) has issued a letter of intent to Starlink. Similar letters had earlier been issued to Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio Satellite Communications.
In March, Union Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had posted a welcome message for Starlink on social media and then deleted it.
"Starlink, welcome to India! Will be useful for remote area railway projects," the minister had posted on X.
Before that, Airtel and Jio, which are India's largest telecom operators and internet service providers, had signed deals with Starlink to offer its satellite-based broadband internet services, but the agreements were contingent on Mr Musk's company getting authorisation from the Centre to operate in the country.
Starlink had been trying to enter the Indian market since 2022 and both Airtel and Jio had initially opposed its entry.
Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal had met a delegation from Starlink last month.
"Discussions covered Starlink's cutting-edge technology platform, their existing partnerships & future investment plans in India," the minister posted on X after the meeting.
