India has effectively frozen approvals for Elon Musk’s space-based internet service Starlink to begin commercial operations, due to concerns over the use of its satellite terminals in the Iran war, according to people familiar with the matter.
Security agencies under India’s Ministry of Home Affairs have withheld the final clearances Starlink needs to launch, the people said, requesting not to be identified discussing information that is private. Reports that Starlink terminals were in use during the Middle East conflict despite the service not being licensed in Iran have heightened fears in New Delhi about its ability to control a US-based operator during geopolitical tensions, they said.
