The way has been cleared for Elon Musk’s satellite internet company Starlink in India. Recently Airtel and Jio (Bharti Airtel Starlink Deal) have partnered with Starlink. However, Starlink will still have to get approval from the Indian authorities to start its services in India.
Airtel announced on Tuesday that it had signed a deal with Elon Musk’s company SpaceX to bring Starlink to India. Soon after, Jio made a similar announcement on Wednesday morning. Both Airtel and Jio are working with SpaceX to bring Starlink’s satellite internet service to India, allowing them to provide their services to the most remote areas of the country. Let’s get detailed information about it.
What is Starlink?
Starlink is a satellite internet service developed by Elon Musk-owned SpaceX. This service provides high-speed internet through a network of thousands of satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO), i.e. constellation. Its purpose is to provide internet to those remote and rural areas where traditional cable or fiber internet cannot reach.
Starlink gives users a small satellite dish (also known as ‘Dishy McFlatface’) and a router, which provides internet connectivity by receiving signals from satellites. Apart from this, Starlink is now also working on direct-to-sale service, which will allow mobile phones to be connected to satellites without any modifications. Starlink’s network is spread across the world and it is providing service in more than 100 countries.
Bharti Airtel Starlink Deal
Starlink was constantly trying to provide satellite internet service in India. But after not getting approval from the Government of India, Starlink has entered the telecom market of India by partnering with India’s local telecom operators Jio and Airtel. Starlink’s satellite internet will prove to be a game changer in the Indian telecom market and the areas where there is internet problem will also be overcome.
India has about 950 million internet subscribers. Which is also the second largest internet market in the world. Due to dependence on network towers here, a large area is deprived of using internet facilities. Keeping this in mind, Elon Musk’s Starlink is focusing more on starting its satellite internet services in India.
How Is The Future?
The satellite communication market in India is growing rapidly. According to a report by KPMG in 2024, this market can reach Rs 1.7 lakh crore by the year 2028. However, government approval, security concerns and the attitude of telecom companies are a big challenge for Starlink.
How Much Starlink Internet Speed Will Be Available
According to media reports, Starlink currently provides downloading satellite internet speed ranging from 50Mbps to 200Mbps. Whose latency is around 20 to 30 milliseconds. Which is almost similar to ground based internet speed. But according to the claims made by SpaceX, this speed will increase to a maximum of 300Mbps in India. Apart from this, the company is also continuously working on a plan of 1Gbps to 10Gbps speed.
Monthly Subscription Plan of Starlink Satellite Internet
Starlink Internet’s residential service ranges from $90 to $120. Which will be around 7.5 thousand to 10 thousand rupees in Indian currency. While the installation charge is $599 i.e. 50,000 rupees in Indian currency. Which will be a single time investment. However, this price may increase slightly for business and roaming services. How much Starlink will charge for satellite internet services in India will be decided only after legal approval and commencement of services.
Sunil Mittal’s Statement After The Deal With SpaceX
A day after signing a deal with Elon Musk’s company SpaceX, Bharti Group founder Sunil Mittal said on Wednesday that satellite communication will strengthen the mix of technologies such as 4G, 5G, 6G and enable customers to take their mobile phones to the most remote areas of the world, even in the sky and sea.
Conclusion
Companies like Jio and Airtel provide internet through fiber optics and mobile towers. Whereas, Starlink is based on satellite network. It works through small satellites, ground stations and user terminals. If you have any question regarding this post, then you can tell us by commenting in the comment box given below. Your feedback and suggestions are welcome as always. Thank you.
