The Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL) has officially issued a Telecommunications Service Provider License to Starlink Lanka (Private) Limited, according to an announcement by the President’s Media Division (PMD) on August 13.
The decision comes in the wake of a meeting between President Ranil Wickremesinghe and controversial entrepreneur Elon Musk in Indonesia during the 10th World Water Forum. Their discussions focused on accelerating the application process to connect Sri Lanka to Musk’s Starlink network, aiming to improve the country's access to high-speed internet via advanced satellite technology.
This license authorizes Starlink Lanka to provide Satellite Broadband Services across the country, effective from August 12, 2024, under Section 17B of the Sri Lanka Telecommunications Act No. 25 of 1991.
Starlink, a satellite internet constellation operated by SpaceX—a U.S.-based aerospace company owned by Musk—currently provides coverage in 102 countries and dominates the satellite internet market with approximately 60% of the roughly 7,500 satellites orbiting Earth. While Musk has shown interest in expanding Starlink’s services to India, no official plans for launching in South Asia have been announced yet.
