• Grants all necessary approvals for Starlink operations
• Starlink yet to confirm launch date for satellite internet services in SL
• Expected to begin operations in SL in Q4 ’24; official date not announced

All regulatory approvals have been granted for the launch of Starlink, the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL) reveals.

Speaking to The Sunday Morning Business, TRCSL Director Spectrum Management J.A.S. Gunanandana revealed that all necessary clearances had been granted by the Spectrum Management Division of the TRCSL for Elon Musk’s Starlink – the satellite unit of SpaceX – to commence operations in Sri Lanka. 

However, he stated that to date, Starlink had not informed the TRCSL of the launch date of its operations in Sri Lanka, adding that he was unaware of the precise reasons holding up the launch of the services of the satellite internet service provider.

“I don’t know what the reason for the delay is. From our side, there is nothing pending,” he said.

According to the availability map of Starlink, it is set to commence operations in Sri Lanka during the fourth quarter of 2024. However, to date, there has been no announcement of an exact date for the commencement of the company’s services in Sri Lanka.

Gunanandana further stated that, as far as he was aware, Starlink was able to commence operations in Sri Lanka.

All attempts by The Sunday Morning Business to contact Starlink’s local agent Starlink Lanka Ltd. proved futile.

Although Starlink has only recently become a much-discussed topic in Sri Lanka, preliminary engagement with SpaceX was initiated several years ago to explore the introduction of Starlink internet services in the country.

The first round of discussions, which took place in late 2021, focused on regulatory aspects and prerequisites for initiating the service in the near future, according to the TRCSL.

During the 10th ‘World Water Forum High-Level Meeting’ in Indonesia, former President Ranil Wickremesinghe met with Musk to discuss and explore the possibilities of implementing Starlink in Sri Lanka and committed to fast-tracking the application process to connect the nation with the global Starlink network.

Starlink is a satellite network developed by the private spaceflight company SpaceX to provide low-cost internet to remote locations.