Sri Lanka grants licence to SpaceX’s Starlink

Sri Lanka’s telecommunications regulator has granted a licence to Elon Musk’s Starlink, the satellite internet division of SpaceX, to provide satellite broadband services in the country. The president’s office confirmed the news.

This development follows the passage of a new telecommunications bill by Sri Lanka’s parliament last month, which marked the first amendment to the law in 28 years and facilitated Starlink’s entry into the market.

SpaceX had previously expressed interest in setting up operations in Sri Lanka in March, and officials reported that the company will be required to pay a tariff for the licence.

Starlink, with its ownership of around 60 per cent of the approximately 7,500 satellites orbiting Earth, holds a dominant position in the satellite internet industry.

SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Attribution: Reuters

Sub-Editing: Y.Yasser