Earlier, Prasar Bharati proposed airing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s interview with Microsoft founder Bill Gates to the Election Commission. However, the EC didn’t formally respond but conveyed that airing it could disrupt the level playing field.

By Taniya Roy

New Delhi: Billionaire Elon Musk, among the top ten richest persons in the world according to Forbes, is scheduled to visit India on April 21 and 22. Musk, whose electric carmaker Tesla has seen slumping sales in the US even as demand for electric vehicles cools, appears to be looking for a new market in India, the most populous country.

In addition, Musk’s Starlink is expected to receive a go-ahead from the home ministry, as the telecom ministry has already granted an in-principal approval to the company for satellite communications service in India. In short, the licence allocation process accelerated ahead of his visit.

Obtaining a global mobile personal communication by satellite services, or a GMPCS licence, is the first step toward setting up a satellite internet service. The process also includes trial spectrum obtained through the administrative route at a nominal application fee.

In India, Musk is expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Musk is not only about Tesla and Starlink, but now owns X (formerly Twitter) and it is a social media platform with a significant impact on speech, expression and conversations amongst Indians. In the middle of a general election, this can mean many things.

This story was originally published in thewire.in. Read the full story here.