NEW DELHI — India's Department of Telecommunications on Tuesday detailed operating conditions for SpaceX's Starlink to export satellite internet capacity to neighbouring countries. The clarification sets out gateway and security requirements for the service.

The approval permits Starlink to provide broadband capacity routed through Indian ground infrastructure to Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh. The arrangement requires lawful interception provisions and the placement of monitoring gateways on Indian soil.

Starlink secured its Indian licence earlier this year after prolonged regulatory review over spectrum allocation and data localisation. The company has been building ground stations and signing distribution partnerships as it prepares commercial service across South Asia, where terrestrial connectivity remains limited in remote regions.

Analysts at Counterpoint Research said the cross-border clearance could accelerate Starlink's regional expansion and pressure incumbent operators such as Bharti Airtel-backed OneWeb and Reliance Jio. Regulators in Kathmandu and Dhaka have not yet confirmed reciprocal licensing arrangements.

The Department of Telecommunications said the conditions were designed to balance connectivity goals with national security, adding that all traffic would remain subject to Indian legal oversight regardless of destination.