The government has said that Elon Musk’s satellite internet venture, Starlink, will be allowed to serve up to 2 million customers in India, offering speeds of up to 200 Mbps, and will not be a threat to major telecom service providers.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) review meeting in Delhi on Monday, Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar, Minister of State for Telecommunications, told reporters that Starlink is expected to price its service at around ₹3,000 per month, but added that its high equipment costs will likely limit adoption. The upfront cost of a Starlink terminal will be quite high, he said, noting that this would prevent it from becoming a mass market service.
Addressing concerns about competition, the minister said satellite services cannot provide meaningful pan-India connectivity and are not a risk to existing telecom players.
Elon Musk’s Starlink recently received the final regulatory clearance to begin commercial satellite broadband operations in India. On July 7, the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe), the country’s space regulator, granted approval to the company, removing the last major hurdle before launch.
With IN-SPACe’s nod, Starlink must now acquire spectrum from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), build ground infrastructure, and complete national security compliance through trials and testing. Starlink has also signed separate agreements with Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel to provide satellite links for backhaul and enterprise services.
{{/usCountry}}With IN-SPACe’s nod, Starlink must now acquire spectrum from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), build ground infrastructure, and complete national security compliance through trials and testing. Starlink has also signed separate agreements with Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel to provide satellite links for backhaul and enterprise services.
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