Airtel's Sunil Bharti Mittal says Eutelsat OneWeb still awaits spectrum and security clearance

During remarks at the India Mobile Congress, Sunil Bharti Mittal, chairman of Bharti Airtel, refuted Elon Musk's allegation that unnamed oligarchs are preventing Starlink from launching in India, pointing out that his own satellite venture, Eutelsat OneWeb, is still pending the same regulatory approvals. The telecom ministry clarified that while licences have been granted to Starlink, Jio Satcom and Eutelsat OneWeb, each company must first obtain spectrum allocation and pass a security clearance process.

The ministry emphasized that the framework applies uniformly and that the security assessments for all three entities are currently underway. Akash Ambani, managing director of Jio Platforms, declined to comment on the dispute. The government reiterated that any suggestion of bias in the licensing process is unfounded.