Elon Musk’s Starlink has officially received a license from India’s Department of Telecommunications to provide satellite-based internet services in the country, according to Bloomberg.

This approval marks a major step forward for Starlink’s entry into the Indian market.

Earlier this week, Telecom Minister, Jyotiraditya Scindia confirmed in an interview stated that India is making steady progress in opening the market to satellite internet providers like Starlink.

With this license, Starlink becomes the third company—after OneWeb and the Jio-SES joint venture—authorized to offer satellite internet services in India.

“We are eager to have that auction in India for our customers as soon as possible,” Scindia said.

He emphasized that the telecom ministry remains neutral toward companies and focuses primarily on serving the customers’ best interests.

Starlink has recently received a Letter of Intent from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), an important step before obtaining a full license, according to insiders.

The DoT expects to grant Starlink a full license by mid-June, as long as the company accepts all the terms without any conditions.

Scindia pointed out that companies such as OneWeb and Reliance already possess Satcom licenses, and Starlink is “very close” to obtaining theirs.

. “All players will have to get their approval from IN-SPACe in the second stage,” he explained, referring to the government’s agency for space sector regulation.