Starlink Reportedly Plans Nine Gateway Earth Stations Across India to Relay Internet Traffic

Starlink is gearing up to launch its satellite communication services in India. The Elon Musk-owned company is readying its infrastructure in anticipation of the launch, and it plans to establish nine gateway earth stations in major cities such as Lucknow, Mumbai, and Noida, across the country, according to a report. So far, Starlink has been permitted to import 100 terminals for testing only fixed satellite services, as part of stringent conditions imposed on it to prevent any misuse.

Starlink to Establish Gateway Earth Stations Across India

Citing anonymous officials with knowledge of the matter, the Economic Times reported that Starlink planned to bring in foreign technical experts to work at the gateway stations. However, it has been informed that only Indian nationals will be initially permitted to operate at the stations till security clearances for foreign nationals are approved by the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Its planned locations for the gateway earth stations include Chandigarh, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, and Noida. They serve as the critical ground infrastructure and a relay point for establishing and maintaining connections between the Starlink satellites and the terrestrial internet.

Starlink has reportedly applied for 600 gigabit-per-second capacity over the Indian region, leveraging its Gen 1 constellation. “The spectrum has been assigned on a provisional basis for demonstrating security related compliances,” the publication quoted an official as saying.

As per the report, Starlink will initially be permitted to use the Starlink V4 user and mini user terminals, gateway antenna, HP flat user terminals, and Gen 3 routers for testing purposes. Further, the network used for demonstration must reportedly be used for commercial services once approved. However, the Musk-owned company is not allowed to offer commercial services as long as its demo is ongoing.

The report stated that the data generation during the security compliance procedure must be stored within India. Starlink must also prevent the equipment from falling into unauthorised hands. It will be required to share details of the deployed terminals, such as name, address, and geographical coordinates, with the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and the security agencies, the publication quoted officials as saying.