NEW DELHI: New Delhi had granted a license to Elon Musk鈥檚 Starlink satellite Internet service, opening India鈥檚 鈥渘ext frontier of connectivity,鈥� according to the country鈥檚 communications minister.

The launch of Starlink, which provides high-speed Internet access to remote locations using low Earth orbit satellites, has sparked fierce debate in India over issues ranging from predatory pricing to spectrum allocation.

Communications minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said he held a 鈥減roductive meeting鈥� with Gwynne Shotwell, president and chief operating officer of Starlink owner SpaceX.

Shotwell 鈥渁ppreciated the license granted to Starlink, calling it a great start to the journey,鈥� the minister said late Tuesday on Musk-owned social media platform X.

It follows two of India鈥檚 biggest telecom service providers 鈥� Jio Platforms and its rival Bharti Airtel 鈥� in March announcing deals with SpaceX to offer Starlink Internet to their customers.

SpaceX owner Musk has butted heads with Asia鈥檚 richest man and Jio Platforms owner Mukesh Ambani over how the satellite spectrum should be awarded.

While Musk鈥檚 business interests in India are currently limited to X, the tech mogul鈥檚 electric vehicle maker Tesla is preparing its entry into the country.