The Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL) said on Tuesday it has officially issued a telecoms licence to SpaceX’s LEO satellite broadband operator Starlink to offer services in the country.
According to a statement from TRCSL, Starlink Lanka (Private) Limited has been granted a Telecommunications Service Provider Licence under Section 17B of the amended Sri Lanka Telecommunications Act No. 25 of 1991. The licence – effective August 12 – enables Starlink to offer “internet facility services in Sri Lanka through satellite technology”. Starlink will have to pay a tariff for the licence.
Starlink’s entry into Sri Lanka has been in the works since May, after Sri Lankan president Ranil Wickremesinghe met with SpaceX chief Elon Musk in Bali, where Musk was attending the launch of Starlink services in Indonesia. During the meeting, Wickremesinghe and Musk discussed expediting Starlink’s application to offer services in Sri Lanka, the TRCSL statement said.
Starlink received preliminary approval in June after TRCSL fast-tracked the process, but the LEOsat operator had to wait for the government to update its telecoms law to create three new types of telecoms licenses, one of which would allow Starlink to provide internet connectivity. Parliament passed the Sri Lanka Telecommunications (Amendment) Bill last month.
