Starlink India’s country director Sanjay Bhargava has resigned from the post. He gave this information through a LinkedIn post.

The Indian government had said a few weeks ago that Starlink Internet Services does not have a license to provide satellite-based internet services in India. The government had advised people not to take services promoted by a company backed by Elon Musk till clearances were obtained, PTI reported.

In a post posted on LinkedIn on Tuesday, Bhargava said, “I have resigned as Country Director of Starlink and as Chairman of the Company’s Board of Directors.”

His post further added: “My last working day was December 31, 2021. I will have no comments for individuals and media so please respect my privacy.”

In this context, he did not give any reply to the query asked through e-mail at this time.

SpaceNews reported that Bhargava started the role October 1, when he said preorders in India had crossed the 5,000 mark, amid a “stretch target” to have 200,000 Starlink terminals active in December 2022.

Starlink website now tells prospective subscribers: “Starlink is not yet available in your area due to pending regulatory approval. As we receive approvals our coverage area will continue to expand, so please check back for future availability in your area.”

In a LinkedIn message written one month ago, Bhargava said: “We hope to have applied for a commercial license on or before 31st January 2022 (unless we hit some major roadblock).”

Hours before Bhargava announced his resignation, Reuters, TechCrunch and others reported that SpaceX emailed customers in India to say that preorder deposits would be refunded until Starlink is licensed to operate in the country, Space News said.

“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,” SpaceX said in a January 4 email, according to Reuters.  SpaceNews said it has not independently confirmed the email.