Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, confirmed his visit to India on April 21 and 22, during which he will meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. During his visit, he is set to make some major announcements.
Elon Musk’s visit to India involves discussions on Tesla and Starlink.
Elon Musk in India: The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has put the licence process of Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet unit on fast track ahead of his visit to India later this month. The department is now working on a letter of intent (LoI) and trial spectrum to Starlink for its satellite communications services, Moneycontrol reported quoting sources.
Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, confirmed his visit to India on April 21 and 22, during which he will meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. During his visit, he is set to make some major announcements, including the launch of Starlink and investments ranging from $2 billion to $3 billion in India.
Starlink, from SpaceX, offers high-speed internet via satellites. Musk has made previous attempts to launch Starlink in India. In November 2022, Starlink applied for a GMPCS (Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite Services) license after a disagreement with the government regarding pre-orders without proper licensing. Planned satcom service trials in India were canceled, leading to a government order for fee refunds due to operating without permissions.
The initial step for Starlink is to acquire the GMPCS license. Subsequently, the company must obtain trial spectrum via an administrative process with a minimal application fee. Starlink will then pilot its services for retail consumers in India. Besides, it needs approval from various Indian authorities due to security concerns raised by the government.
The satcom spectrum race is heating up. Musk, with his satcom company Starlink, will compete with Mukesh Ambani and Sunil Bharti Mittal whose respective companies, Reliance Jio JV with Luxembourg-based SES; and Bharti AIrtel jointly with OneWeb-Eutelsat, are also in the race for satcom spectrum.
During his visit, Musk is set to meet with other government officials, including Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal. The preparations for Musk’s visit are ongoing, and the Prime Minister’s Office is likely to send out invitations next week to potential attendees. Alongside government officials, some industry stakeholders may also be invited to meet with the Tesla CEO.
The Centre has already eased regulations for importing fully built electric vehicles in response to Musk’s plans, clearing the path for Tesla to enter the Indian market. Tesla’s Berlin GigaFactory is reportedly gearing up for shipments to India.
A Bloomberg report suggests Tamil Nadu could be a manufacturing site for Tesla before Musk’s India visit. Tesla is exploring an EV plant in India, but no final decision has been reached.
