Further delay in Starlink’s satcom licence likely as DoT seeks clarity on ownership disclosure rules

New Delhi: Approvals to Elon Musk-owned Starlink for starting satcom services in India may get delayed with the communications ministry now seeking clarity from the Department for Promotion of Industry & Internal Trade (DPIIT) about mandatory ownership disclosure rules.

DPIIT had in 2020 amended the foreign investment policy to make prior government approval mandatory for inflows from countries sharing a land border with India through Press Note 3, which also requires all foreign investors to share complete shareholding details so as to check if there are any investors from countries sharing a land border with India, like China.