Resignations and refunds cloud Musk's plans in India

Elon Musk backed Starlink saw a suprise exit as India Country Director Sanjay Bhargava resigned from his position and shared the news via LinkedIn post.

The move comes just weeks after government stated that Starlink Internet Services is not licensed to offer satellite-based internet services in India, and had advised the public not to subscribe to the services that are being advertised by the Elon Musk-backed company, without a requisite licence in the country.

Bhargava, in the LinkedIn post on Tuesday evening, said: "I have stepped down as country director and chairman of the board of Starlink India for personal reasons. My last working day was December 31, 2021." Bhargava did not respond to queries sent to him in this regard.

In November, the telecom department had asked Starlink to comply with the regulatory framework for offering satellite-based communication services, and to refrain from booking/rendering the satellite internet services in India "with immediate effect"

Reuters is reporting that Starlink has informed it's members that the refund process will begin as they have been directed by the Indian Govt to do so. Starlink stated in the email "Unfortunately, the timeline for receiving licences to operate is currently unknown, and there are several issues that must be resolved with the licensing framework to allow us to operate Starlink in India."

Starlink had received 5000 pre-orders for it's internet service.