Starlink said the Indian government has demanded that the company refund all pre-orders for satellite internet services to customers until it is licensed to operate in the country.

“As always, you can get a refund anytime,” Starlink said in an email to one of its customers.

Currently, Elon Musk's company has already received more than 5,000 pre-orders for its devices in India. A pre-subscription to a Starlink product in India costs $ 99.

“Unfortunately, the timing of obtaining work licenses is currently unknown and there are several issues that need to be addressed through the licensing system to enable us to work with Starlink in India,” the letter says to clients.

The company expressed the hope that it will be able to obtain permits for the work "as soon as possible."

At the end of November, the Telecommunications Department, the Ministry of Communications and the Government of India advised residents of the country to refrain from purchasing Starlink services. The authorities emphasize that the company has not yet received a license to operate in India.

Starlink plans to apply for a commercial license in India by the end of January, Sanjay Bhargava, head of its India division, said last month. According to the company's presentation, it aims to deliver 200,000 devices in India by December 2022.

However, in a recent LinkedIn post, Bhargava stated that he stepped down as regional director and chairman of the board of directors for "personal reasons." He has held this post since October.

In early October, Starlink began negotiations with authorities to connect 10 rural districts in India by December next year. This market is also interested in Amazon, which will apply for the provision of satellite Internet in the country. OneWeb will also compete with the companies, which will begin to supply its services from May 2022.

bbabo.Net