NEW DELHI – Elon Musk announced that Starlink satellite internet services are inactive in India, following the recent seizure of two of the company’s devices. One was taken from an area affected by armed conflict, and the other was found during a drug smuggling operation.
Starlink is seeking approval to offer satellite broadband services in India and is working to address any security concerns as part of the approval process. Musk commented on X late Tuesday, stating that “Starlink satellite beams are turned off over India” and were “never on in the first place.”
He was responding to a post from the Indian Army about a search operation on December 13 in Manipur, a northeastern state in India, which has been plagued by communal conflict since early last year. The post included photos of weapons and a satellite dish with the Starlink logo. Two military officers familiar with the operation, who spoke anonymously, said the device was being used by a militant group. They suggested the device had likely been smuggled across the porous border from Myanmar, where the use of Starlink by rebel groups has been reported, though the company does not operate there.
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Earlier this month, Indian police sent a legal request to Starlink for purchase details of a device found during a major drug bust at sea. The seizure involved smugglers with $4.2 billion worth of methamphetamine, one of India\’s largest drug hauls. Authorities suspect the smugglers were using the Starlink device for navigation.
