Elon Musk's Starlink on Wednesday dismissed a Bloomberg report claiming that the Indian government had effectively "frozen approvals" for the satellite internet provider's commercial launch in the country.

The company said it remains in active discussions with New Delhi, has received positive feedback on its potential to support India's connectivity goals, and continues to await final regulatory clearances before beginning commercial operations.

According to the report, reports of Starlink terminals being used during the Iran conflict despite the service not being licensed in Iran raised concerns among Indian security agencies about New Delhi's ability to control a US-based operator during periods of geopolitical tension.

"Starlink remains in active and productive discussions with the Government of India contrary to misleading stories based upon unsubstantiated claims from anonymous sources. We have worked with the Government through all of the required regulatory and compliance processes in a transparent and responsible manner," Lauren Dreyer, Vice President of Starlink Business Operations, said in a post on social media platform X on Wednesday.

Starlink has already secured a licence to offer satellite broadband services in India and has established ground infrastructure to meet regulatory and enforcement requirements. The company is now awaiting final approvals, including spectrum allocation, before launching commercial services.

Alongside Starlink, the Indian government has issued licences to Bharti Group-backed Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio-SES Space Technology Ltd. All three companies are awaiting spectrum allocation before rolling out services.

As required under Indian regulations, all user traffic on Starlink's network will be routed exclusively through ground infrastructure located within the country.

Dreyer said the company had received encouraging responses from Indian authorities regarding Starlink's ability to help expand internet access, particularly in remote and underserved regions, and reaffirmed its commitment to launching services in the country.

"We remain fully committed to India and to working with the government to bring Starlink's services very soon to the country," she said.

She added that Starlink had completed all required regulatory and compliance processes and developed a country-specific operating model to meet India's security and regulatory requirements.

"To align with India's sovereign technology, regulatory and security requirements, Starlink has set up a bespoke deployment model for India that further demonstrates our commitment to working within India's strategic framework," she said.

Starlink is SpaceX's satellite broadband service, designed to provide high-speed internet connectivity through a constellation of thousands of low-Earth orbit satellites. Unlike traditional satellite services that rely on satellites positioned much farther from Earth, Starlink's low-orbit network is intended to reduce latency and improve speeds, making it suitable for applications such as video streaming, online gaming and real-time communications.

The service operates in dozens of countries and has been used to improve connectivity in remote areas from North America and Australia to parts of Africa, as well as to support communications during emergencies.