Elon Musk pitches Starlink for India's underserved villages amid fresh regulatory push

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk on Friday said Starlink could help connect underserved areas in India, particularly rural regions, as the satellite internet company renews efforts to launch services in the country.

"Starlink would help the least served in India, especially in rural areas," Musk posted on X in response to a post by DogeDesigner, which called for Starlink services to connect remote villages in India.

The post cited government data showing that 11,256 listed villages still had no 4G coverage as of May 2026.

It also said India had 1.093 billion internet subscriptions in March 2026, of which 440.87 million were in rural areas. Rural internet subscription density stood at 48.31 per 100 people, compared with 126.80 in urban India.

The post argued that satellite connectivity could help bridge gaps in remote villages, mountainous regions, islands and disaster-hit areas, while direct-to-device (D2D) connectivity could allow mobile phones to remain connected beyond conventional tower coverage.

Musk's comments came amid reports that Starlink has submitted a fresh application to the Indian space regulator seeking authorisation for its second-generation (Gen 2) satellite constellation, which includes newer technologies such as D2D connectivity.

According to The Economic Times, Starlink has recently applied to the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) for authorisation of its Gen 2 constellation, comprising satellites operating at an altitude of 340-615 km in low Earth orbit.

IN-SPACe had rejected an earlier application for Starlink's proposed 30,000-satellite constellation over non-conformity of certain features and spectrum bands.

The regulator, however, approved Starlink's Gen 1 constellation in July 2025. The Gen 1 system provides traditional broadband services through 4,408 low-Earth-orbit satellites.

SpaceX plans to deploy around 42,000 satellites under its Gen 2 constellation, although Starlink has sought IN-SPACe authorisation for nearly 30,000 satellites.

The company can seek approval for additional satellites at a later stage.

Satellite companies require IN-SPACe authorisation to commence services in India.

So far, non-geostationary satellite operators, including Starlink, Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio's joint venture with Luxembourg-based SES, have not started commercial services in India, amid pending security clearances and spectrum allocation.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has already made recommendations on pricing for satellite spectrum, while the government is yet to take a final decision.