Starlink Clears India's Final Regulatory Gate for Commercial Service

India's space regulator granted Starlink commercial operations approval on July 9, 2025, completing a multi-stage regulatory sequence that began in May. The constellation-capacity approval followed on July 8. Starlink is licensed specifically for rural, underserved, and unserved areas—not urban markets. The five-year approval runs through mid-2030. Competitive pressures from OneWeb, Amazon's Kuiper, and domestic carriers Jio and Airtel remain. Terminal pricing and subsidy models, not regulation, will likely determine actual market penetration.