OneWeb should get India approval before Starlink, we applied 5 years earlier: Sunil Mittal
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New Delhi, Oct 14 : Bharti Enterprises founder and chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal on Wednesday said that Eutelsat OneWeb should receive regulatory approvals in India ahead of Starlink, arguing that the company is significantly ahead in the approval queue after having applied nearly five years ago.
Speaking during a panel discussion at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum 2026 here, Mittal said Eutelsat OneWeb has been waiting for approvals despite having completed substantial preparations for launching services in the country.
He noted that the company's ground network infrastructure has been ready for the past three years, while its satellites have been positioned over India for about five years.
“As I have already said, we are awaiting our approvals. I believe we are significantly ahead of him in the queue because we applied five years ago,” Mittal stated.
Mittal said Eutelsat OneWeb would be pleased to receive the necessary clearances even a few days before Starlink, given that it had entered the approval process much earlier.
“Our ground networks have been ready for the past three years, and our satellites have been hovering over India for the past five years. We still do not have the necessary permission, so we would be very happy to receive it, even a few days before him,” he added.
His remarks come amid an escalating public debate over the entry of Elon Musk-led Starlink into India. Over the past week, Musk used social media platform X to allege that certain Indian businesses were obstructing Starlink's plans to launch satellite broadband services in the country.
The Indian government, however, has rejected allegations of preferential treatment or discrimination in the approval process. Responding to Musk's claims, the Ministry of Communications said all satellite communication operators are being evaluated through a fair and non-discriminatory framework.
“At present, all the three entities are at broadly the same regulatory stage. As such, the suggestion that the framework or its application is unfair or discriminatory is baseless and misconceived,” the ministry had said.
Eutelsat OneWeb India, legally registered as OneWeb India Communications Private Limited, is a low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite communications company preparing to roll out commercial satellite broadband services in India.
The company is part of Eutelsat Group, which was formed through the merger of France-based Eutelsat and the UK-backed OneWeb. Bharti Enterprises is one of the major shareholders in the merged entity, making it a key stakeholder in the company's India operations.
Speaking during a panel discussion at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum 2026 here, Mittal said Eutelsat OneWeb has been waiting for approvals despite having completed substantial preparations for launching services in the country.
He noted that the company's ground network infrastructure has been ready for the past three years, while its satellites have been positioned over India for about five years.
“As I have already said, we are awaiting our approvals. I believe we are significantly ahead of him in the queue because we applied five years ago,” Mittal stated.
Mittal said Eutelsat OneWeb would be pleased to receive the necessary clearances even a few days before Starlink, given that it had entered the approval process much earlier.
“Our ground networks have been ready for the past three years, and our satellites have been hovering over India for the past five years. We still do not have the necessary permission, so we would be very happy to receive it, even a few days before him,” he added.
His remarks come amid an escalating public debate over the entry of Elon Musk-led Starlink into India. Over the past week, Musk used social media platform X to allege that certain Indian businesses were obstructing Starlink's plans to launch satellite broadband services in the country.
The Indian government, however, has rejected allegations of preferential treatment or discrimination in the approval process. Responding to Musk's claims, the Ministry of Communications said all satellite communication operators are being evaluated through a fair and non-discriminatory framework.
“At present, all the three entities are at broadly the same regulatory stage. As such, the suggestion that the framework or its application is unfair or discriminatory is baseless and misconceived,” the ministry had said.
Eutelsat OneWeb India, legally registered as OneWeb India Communications Private Limited, is a low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite communications company preparing to roll out commercial satellite broadband services in India.
The company is part of Eutelsat Group, which was formed through the merger of France-based Eutelsat and the UK-backed OneWeb. Bharti Enterprises is one of the major shareholders in the merged entity, making it a key stakeholder in the company's India operations.
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