Elon Musk's Starlink working on Indian security clearance for satellite broadband

Elon Musk's Starlink is seeking security clearance for a licence to offer satellite broband services in India and will get a permit if it satisfies all conditions, telecoms minister said on Tuesday.

Starlink has been looking to enter India for years and its plans got a major boost last month when New Delhi said it wouldn't auction spectrum for satellite broband but rar award it ministratively - just as Musk wanted. Rival Indian telecom billionaire Mukesh Ambani h wanted an auction.

Indian telecom minister Jyotiritya Scindia said on Tuesday that Starlink was in process of obtaining security clearance, which requires it to satisfy New Delhi that company processes and stores data locally, and that its satellite signals are secure.

"When you check all boxes, you get licence. If y (Starlink) do that, we will be very happy," Scindia said at an event in New Delhi.

Security clearance would take Starlink one step closer to Musk's plans to offer broband to Indians, a market Ambani's Reliance Jio currently dominates with 14 million wired subscribers.

Ambani, Asia's richest man, also has more than 479 million Indian telecom users, but is concerned that after spending $19 billion in airwave auctions, he w risks losing broband customers and potentially data and voice clients to Musk as techlogy vances, Reuters has previously reported.

Reliance alrey has security clearance to launch satellite broband services, according to a source with direct kwledge.

Starlink has told Indian government it is willing to comply with all of New Delhi's security requirements, said ar source familiar of matter.

After security clearance is obtained, companies still need to obtain spectrum to start offering satellite broband services.

Ambani once gave data for free on his mobile plans, and Musk has opted similarly aggressive tactics. In Kenya, Musk priced Starlink at $10 per month, versus $120 in United States, unsettling local telecom players.