Elon Musk’s Starlink to run technical, security demos in Mumbai from Oct 30

October 29, 2025

New Delhi: Elon Musk-led Starlink is set to conduct demonstration runs in Mumbai on October 30 and 31 to showcase compliance with India’s security and technical requirements for satellite broadband services, according to people familiar with the developments.

Demonstration Before Law Enforcement Agencies

The demonstrations, to be held before law enforcement agencies, will be based on the provisional spectrum assigned to Starlink.

The move marks a major step toward the company’s entry into India’s satellite broadband market, the sources said.

This step is crucial for Starlink to obtain final clearances to begin commercial operations in the country.

GMPCS Compliance a Key Requirement

Starlink will run a demo to demonstrate compliance with the security and technical conditions under the Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite (GMPCS) authorisation.

Over 10 satellite operators, including Starlink, have now entered India’s satcom space, with the private sector permitted to hold up to 100 per cent FDI.

India’s Expanding Satcom Landscape

Starlink, owned by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, is currently the world’s leading satellite communications (satcom) operator, maintaining a constellation of 7,578 satellites.

India has so far provided the necessary approvals to Starlink, Reliance Jio-SES JV, and Bharti Group-backed Eutelsat OneWeb to offer satcom services in the country.

The opening up of direct-to-cell communications, which allows a satellite signal to connect directly to a mobile phone, has further strengthened India’s satellite communications market.

Bridging Connectivity Gaps

With internet penetration still limited in several remote and rural regions, satellite internet is being viewed as an essential complement to terrestrial networks.

Satellite internet services use satellites placed in Geostationary Orbits (GSO) or Non-Geostationary Orbits (NGSO) to deliver high-speed connectivity to areas that lack traditional infrastructure.

Government’s Data Sovereignty Directive

In August, the Indian government clarified that data, traffic, and other information collected by Starlink from Indian users must be stored within India.

The directive also stipulates that domestic user traffic cannot be mirrored or transferred to any system or server located abroad, ensuring data sovereignty and security compliance for satellite-based internet operators.