The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has announced that it has onboarded Starlink, the satellite-based internet provider. Starlink will utilize Aadhaar for customer verification, aiming to streamline and secure its onboarding process ahead of launch in the country.
The integration of Aadhaar authentication is intended to make the customer sign up process quick, paperless, and compliant with Know Your Customer (KYC) regulations.
According to the UIDAI, this collaboration represents a synergy between India’s digital identity system and global satellite technology. The use of Aadhaar e-KYC will facilitate user onboarding, ensuring regulatory compliance while enabling the delivery of high-speed internet to homes, businesses, and institutions. The UIDAI specified that the use of Aadhaar authentication will be entirely voluntary for customers, in line with existing regulations.
The agreement to appoint Starlink Satellite Communication Pvt. Ltd. as a Sub-Authentication User Agency and Sub-eKYC user agency was formalized in the presence of key officials, including UIDAI CEO Sh. Bhuvnesh Kumar, Deputy Director General Sh. Manish Bhardwaj, and Starlink India Director Parnil Urdhwareshe.
The UIDAI views the adoption of Aadhaar authentication by a global satellite internet provider like Starlink as a demonstration of the scalability and reliability of India’s digital infrastructure. It suggests that this use case highlights Aadhaar’s potential to facilitate innovation in service delivery while maintaining transparency and accountability.