Elon Musk’s Starlink gets approval to launch India operations: Expected price, hardware requirement and more
Starlink, the satellite internet service owned by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, has officially secured operating rights in India, a development confirmed by union minister for communications, Jyotiraditya Scindia, on social media platform X (formerly Twitter). This approval essentially means that Starlink can now provide its services in the competitive Indian telecommunications market.The confirmation follows a “productive meeting” between Scindia and SpaceX president and COO Gwynne Shotwell. Their discussions, as detailed by Scindia on X, “delved into opportunities for collaboration in satellite communications to power Digital India’s soaring ambitions and empower every citizen across the country.”
Shotwell reportedly expressed appreciation for the license, calling it “a great start to the journey.”This regulatory milestone comes just days after Starlink was issued the Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite (GMPCS) permit by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT). Starlink now stands as the third company to receive such a permit, joining Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio Satellite Communications in the race to offer commercial satellite internet services across India. Amazon’s Project Kuiper is also poised to enter the market, pending its own regulatory approvals.
Starlink’s collaboration with Jio, Airtel
Telecom giants Airtel and Jio have already announced partnerships with Starlink. These partnerships are crucial, as Jio and Airtel collectively command over 70% of the Indian telecommunications market, providing extensive retail networks for Starlink’s equipment distribution and offering customer service, installation, and activation support, particularly in remote and underserved regions.
Starlink price in India
While there is no official information about the price for the services, a report by The Economic Times last month claimed that Starlink may introduce unlimited data plans in India for less than $10 (approximately Rs 840) per month at promotional rates. It also cited industry experts as saying that despite substantial spectrum and licensing costs, satellite internet providers are likely to adopt a low entry price to rapidly expand their user base, aiming for up to 10 million subscribers in the medium to long term. However, a widespread adoption for Starlink in India may face hurdles, particularly concerning hardware costs. Globally, Starlink’s hardware kits range from $250 (approx. Rs 21,300) to $380 (approx. Rs 32,400). This represents a significant upfront investment compared to existing Indian home broadband offerings, which typically feature much lower hardware costs, provide speeds up to 1 Gbps, and often bundle Over-The-Top (OTT) app subscriptions.
