Licensed but Switched Off: Starlink, the Sky and the Law in India
Starlink holds an Indian telecom licence, has approval from India’s space regulator and has built about 20 ground stations across the country. Yet not a single Indian customer can use it. Why?
In this research paper, Adv. Vishal Vijayrao Kale, Senior Advocate and Sole Arbitrator, explains the legal story behind the headlines in simple words. The paper looks at what still stands between Starlink and Indian users: Home Ministry security clearance, foreign investment approval, and the grant of spectrum. It examines the hardest legal question of all: can satellite spectrum be given without an auction after the Supreme Court’s 2G judgment? It also covers the October 2026 public dispute, the Government’s power to switch off a network in an emergency, and whether satellite internet will ever be affordable for a family in an Indian village.
Each section marks clearly what is settled law, what is a legal argument, and what is the author’s own view.
Download the full research paper below.
