Starlink’s revised Gen 2 filing seeks approval for nearly 30,000 satellites and direct-to-device connectivity in India.
NEW DELHI: SpaceX’s Starlink submitted a revised application to India’s space regulator, the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre, on August 20, seeking authorisation to deploy its second-generation satellite constellation across the country. The filing requests approval for nearly 30,000 low Earth orbit satellites and, notably, includes Direct-to-Device technology that would let standard, unmodified smartphones connect directly to satellites without requiring a dish or specialised terminal.
This marks Starlink’s second attempt at securing Gen 2 clearance in India. The regulator had rejected an earlier version of this application in January, citing non-conformity in proposed spectrum bands and technical parameters. The company has since revised its filing to align more closely with India’s regulatory requirements, though the application still requires extensive technical and security review before any commercial rollout can proceed.
What Direct-to-Device Actually Means
The technology at the centre of this filing effectively turns orbiting satellites into cell towers in space. Starlink’s Gen 2 satellites carry onboard modems and large phased-array antennas that communicate directly with ordinary phones using standard cellular protocols, the same technology already used by networks like T-Mobile in the United States and O2 in the United Kingdom.
Making this work requires solving some difficult engineering problems. Satellites travel at roughly 27,000 kilometres per hour, and this speed causes significant frequency shifts that would normally disrupt a phone’s connection entirely. Starlink addresses this by having the satellite continuously recalculate and adjust frequencies so the phone perceives a stable signal, alongside extended timing mechanisms that prevent connections from timing out over the longer distances involved.
In practical terms, this technology is expected to roll out in stages, starting with basic text messaging and emergency alerts, before progressing to voice calls and eventually broader data connectivity as the satellite network matures. For India, this could offer meaningful coverage in disaster-hit areas where ground towers are damaged, remote Himalayan border regions, dense forest tracts, and maritime zones where building physical infrastructure is impractical.
A History Marked by False Starts and Course Corrections
Starlink’s path in India has not been straightforward. The company briefly began accepting pre-orders from Indian customers back in 2021 before securing any licenses, prompting regulators to order it to halt sales and refund customers, a setback that also saw its India country head step down.
Since then, the company has worked through India’s licensing process more methodically. It received a formal satellite communications license in June 2025, followed by technical clearance for its first-generation constellation of 4,408 satellites the following month. This slower but steadier approach appears to be shaping the company’s current Gen 2 filing as well.
Strict Conditions Await Any Approval
India’s regulatory framework for satellite operators is notably rigorous. Foreign operators like Starlink must route all Indian user traffic through domestically located ground gateways, maintain local network control centres, and provide security agencies with real-time interception capability. At least a fifth of ground infrastructure must eventually be sourced locally and final approval also requires separate clearance on foreign investment ownership disclosures.
These requirements exist for sound reasons tied to national security and data sovereignty, though they do add complexity to Starlink’s satellite mesh network, which by design routes data across satellites spanning multiple countries via laser links.
Competition Is Heating Up
Starlink isn’t alone in pursuing India’s satellite communications market. Eutelsat OneWeb, backed by Bharti Enterprises and Reliance Jio’s satellite venture with SES have already secured both licenses and technical clearances for their own constellations. Amazon’s Kuiper project is also working through the regulatory process, giving India a competitive field of satellite players rather than a single dominant entrant.
The Telecom Industry Wants a Level Playing Field
Domestic telecom operators Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel have voiced clear concerns about direct-to-device satellite services, arguing that if satellite operators can deliver voice and data straight to ordinary phones, they should face the same licensing costs and spectrum rules that terrestrial operators paid through competitive auctions. This “same service, same rules” argument reflects a legitimate tension policymakers will need to resolve, particularly since India currently has no dedicated regulatory framework for direct-to-device services at all.
What Comes Next
Several approvals still stand between this filing and any commercial launch, including IN-SPACe’s technical review of the Gen 2 proposal, security clearance from home affairs authorities, finalisation of foreign investment approval, and a broader telecom regulator framework for spectrum sharing between satellites and terrestrial networks. Given the multiple regulatory checkpoints still ahead, this filing represents a meaningful step in Starlink’s India ambitions, but commercial direct-to-device service in the country remains some distance away.
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