New Delhi, Aug. 1 -- India has officially cleared the decks for Elon Musk's Starlink to launch satellite-based internet services, granting the company a Unified Licence to operate in the country, Union Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia confirmed on Thursday.

The move comes as India commemorates 30 years since its first cellular phone call on July 31, 1995.

Starlink, operated by Musk's SpaceX, will now join a competitive fieldwhere Bharti Group-backed Eutelsat, OneWeb, and Reliance Jio's joint venture with SES are already in play.

Both rivals are also awaiting spectrum allocation.

All three players aim to deliver high-speed internet via low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellations, targeting underserved and remote areas.

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