Bharti Satellite Connectivity Awaits India Clearance
The move: Bharti says its India satellite launch is ready
Bharti Enterprises says it is ahead of Starlink in India’s satellite approval queue but is still waiting for security clearances before starting services. Sunil Bharti Mittal, the group’s founder and chairman, made the comments at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum.
Mittal said Bharti applied for the required approvals five years ago. Its ground network has been ready for three years, while its satellites have been positioned over India for five years.
The company’s India satellite services have not started because the required security clearances remain pending. Mittal said Bharti could extend services across the country once approvals are in place, including to locations where conventional networks struggle to reach.
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Bharti’s operations in India span mobile services, home broadband, digital TV, enterprise connectivity, data centers and digital platforms. Mittal also highlighted Bharti’s satellite services in Africa, launched alongside a global partner.
Starlink received approval from India’s telecom ministry in June 2025 and a five-year commercial operations licence from IN-SPACe the following month. Mittal nevertheless said Bharti was ahead in the approval queue.
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