NEW DELHI — India has granted a key license to Elon Musk’s Starlink, bringing the satellite provider a step closer to launching its commercial internet services there, a top Indian government official said Friday.

In March, Starlink signed agreements with India’s top two telecom operators — Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel — to bring the U.S. satellite internet giant’s services to the world’s most populous country.

At least 40% of India’s more than 1.4 billion people have no access to the internet. Cheap satellite broadband is needed to bridge this gap.

The next phase for Musk’s company would be to secure a separate approval from India’s space regulator and secure airwaves used for telecommunications from the government. — Associated Press