Tech billionaire Elon Musk led SpaceX will soon apply to the Indian government for a licence to launch its Starlink satellite broadband services in the country.
Sanjay Bhargava, Starlink’s newly appointed India head, on Friday (2 October) said that the government approval process is a complex one and that the company plans to target a quick approval for its pilot programme before working to get an approval for a pan-India launch.
Bhargava took charge as Starlink Country Director India at SpaceX on Friday.
He had previously worked with tech billionaire Musk and was part of a team that had founded electronic payment firm PayPal.
“We are optimistic that we will get approval for a pilot program or Pan-India approval in the next few months,”he said.
SpaceX has been accepting pre-orders for the beta version of its Starlink satellite internet service in India for a fully refundable deposit of $99 (around Rs 7,350), reports Economic Times.
According to its website, the company’s satellite broadband services are being targeted in India in 2022, although it said availability is subject to regulatory approvals and would be fulfilled on a first come, first served basis.
“Starlink is in many countries and the more preorders we have from India, the easier it will be for us to get government approval and to prioritise India,” Bhargava said.