Starlink India has completed 20 gateway sites comprising hundreds of antennas as it prepares to begin satellite communications services in the country, SpaceX vice president Lauren Dreyer said at India Mobile Congress 2026. The company has also established India-specific security controls and said Indian users’ data will be kept within the country.
Dreyer, who oversees Starlink business operations, said SpaceX had built its Indian operations around the country’s security requirements and other regulations. “We’ve built our Starlink operations specifically for India in recognition of Indian security requirements and other regulations, establishing controls at every layer for India, and keeping Indian user data within India,” she said.
The ground network is a key part of Starlink’s planned service architecture. Unlike a conventional internet provider that relies primarily on terrestrial fibre, mobile networks or fixed-line infrastructure, a satellite communications service also requires ground facilities to connect satellites with internet networks and manage service operations. Starlink said its 20 gateway sites and associated antennas are already in place.
“We’ve already made the investment and built the existing ground infrastructure here, 20 gateway sites comprising hundreds of antennas, and we’ve established the operations to be ready to serve India,” Dreyer said. The company has been working with regulators, industry stakeholders and operators in India for the past five years, according to her remarks.
The announcement comes after the government granted licences to three satellite communication companies, including Starlink, to offer services in India. The licences create a regulatory pathway for satellite-based connectivity, while the companies still have to operate within the country’s security, data and other compliance requirements.
For India’s connectivity infrastructure, satellite networks are intended to serve locations where traditional systems have been unable to reach or provide reliable service. Dreyer said Starlink was providing high-speed connectivity to places that conventional infrastructure had been unable to serve, although the company did not provide details at the event on its proposed coverage, pricing or launch schedule for Indian consumers.
Dreyer also highlighted SpaceX’s wider technology programme, including reusable Falcon 9 rockets, the next-generation Starship launch vehicle and plans to build artificial-intelligence computing capacity on Earth and, in the future, in orbit. Those projects form part of SpaceX’s broader technology portfolio, while the completed gateway network represents the company’s immediate India-facing infrastructure investment.
The next operational milestone will be Starlink’s launch of services in India. The company’s comments indicate that its ground infrastructure and operating systems have been established, but the supplied announcement does not specify a commercial start date or the final terms under which customers will be able to subscribe.
