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Elon Musk responds to union minister Scindia's post on Starlink: 'Looking forward to serving India'
Musk was replying to a post by Union Minister of Communications Jyotiraditya Scindia.
SpaceX founder Elon Musk on Wednesday signaled a renewed push for the rollout of Starlink, in line with India's satellite broadband ambitions.
Replying to a post by Union Minister of Communications Jyotiraditya Scindia, Musk said, “Looking forward to serving India with Starlink!”
Scindia met Vice President of Starlink's Business Operations (SpaceX) and the company's senior leadership earlier today. In a post on X, Scindia said they had discussed “advancing satellite-based last-mile access across India.”
The union minister further stressed on the role of satellite technology in expanding connectivity to the remote parts of the country.
He said that Centre was working towards expanding Prime Minister Narendra Modi's “vision of a digitally empowered India.” Scindia said the technology would strengthen internet access "to every citizen in rural and hard-to-reach regions, ensuring that digital inclusion accelerates broader development.” The union minister also posted a picture of the meeting with Starlink's team.
The entry of Starlink – the satellite internet venture led by Elon Musk – in India is expected to boost connectivity and access to every part of the country through affordable and high-speed satellite internet, ANi news agency reported.
Starlink partners with Maharashtra govt
After announcing its intentions of entering the Indian market, Starlink signed a a letter of intent (LOI) with the Maharashtra government to introduce satellite-based internet services across remote and underserved parts of the state.
The rollout in Maharashtra will cover government institutions, public infrastructure networks and rural communities, officials said, according to an earlier HT report. They further stated that the collaboration would be subject to necessary clearances from the Centre.
The initiative will target bridging connectivity gaps in areas with difficult terrain and limited telecom coverage, including districts such as Gadchiroli, Nandurbar, Dharashiv and Washim. The internet services will also boost connectivity at at disaster control rooms, forest outposts and coastal policing units.
