Starlink, which has long been interested in entering the Indian market, will work with Airtel to explore various possibilities, such as connecting rural areas, schools, and businesses through its satellite network.
Airtel and SpaceX’s partnership will look into ways to expand the availability of Starlink’s services across India. This could include offering Starlink through Airtel’s retail network and exploring how the satellite service could complement Airtel’s current internet services. While there are no confirmed details on the speed and pricing Indian users can expect, the collaboration aims to reach remote regions where conventional internet services are not easily available.
The announcement comes after a meeting between Elon Musk and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Washington, where discussions on technology and space advancements took place. However, SpaceX’s Starlink still needs to secure final licenses before launching its service in India.
What is Starlink’s USP?
Starlink, a SpaceX satellite internet project, aims to provide high-speed internet through a vast network of low-Earth orbit satellites. Unlike traditional cable-based internet services, Starlink is designed to offer fast and reliable internet access in remote and hard-to-reach areas.
The service works by connecting users to a constellation of satellites, which relay data to and from Earth, bypassing many of the challenges faced by conventional broadband services.
Starlink’s technology is seen as a solution for areas where building internet infrastructure is difficult due to terrain or location. The service has already rolled out in several countries and aims to expand its satellite network for better global coverage. Once available in India, Starlink is expected to provide download speeds ranging from 25 to 220 Mbps and upload speeds between 5 and 20 Mbps.
Latency will typically range between 25 to 50 milliseconds on land, making it suitable for a variety of online activities such as video streaming, gaming, and virtual meetings. The partnership with Airtel also raises the potential for wider access, particularly in rural parts of India that are underserved by current internet services.
Starlink represents a great improvement in terms of speed and latency, especially when comparing it to geostationary satellite internet services. Some issues, such as slower speed in high-demand areas, still persist but will hopefully be worked out over time. Advantages largely apply to Starlink versus traditional satellite internet providers. Options like fiber will, in the majority of cases, perform better.
Global Coverage: Starlink, at least in theory, offers global internet coverage, which is made possible by the thousands of satellites that roam low-Earth orbit (LEO). The service eventually aims to deploy tens of thousands of those. Given the relatively short distance to earth, its satellites normally re-enter earth’s atmosphere after 5 to 6 years where they burn up almost completely.
By deploying thousands of satellites instead of just a few, terminals always have at least one satellite they can connect to. Technically, Starlink can thus be used anywhere. In reality, the service is constrained by local governments as it requires regulatory approval to offer broadband internet services to consumers.
However, various users have reported that Starlink does indeed work in locations it isn’t licensed in yet. With that said, Starlink may cut you off at any given time should you use your system in an unlicensed location. One can check where Starlink can be ordered and is thus licensed to operate on its availability map.
High Download & Upload Speeds: Its LEO constellation not only provides users with worldwide coverage but access to high download and upload speeds. Starlink claims that it is able to offer download speeds of up to 220 Mbps while uploads can be as high as 50 Mbps.
India is gearing up for a new era in internet connectivity with the anticipated launch of SpaceX’s Starlink. The satellite Internet service provider is expected to enter the Indian market through partnerships with Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel. However, before Starlink can roll out its services, it must first obtain regulatory approval from the Indian government.
Rural penetration
Starlink’s entry is particularly significant for India, where rural and remote regions still struggle with limited broadband access. While metropolitan areas benefit from high-speed fiber networks, many parts of the country remain underserved. By leveraging satellite technology, Starlink aims to bypass traditional infrastructure constraints and deliver Internet services directly from space, potentially transforming digital connectivity in hard-to-reach locations.
Although Starlink’s India pricing has not yet been disclosed, an insight into its pricing structure in Bhutan provides a useful comparison, as that’s the closest country that has Starlink availability.
According to Starlink’s official website, the company offers two subscription plans: Starlink Residential and Starlink Residential Lite. The Residential plan is tailored for standard home users and comes with unlimited data. Meanwhile, the Residential Lite plan is designed for smaller households with lighter internet usage, offering unlimited de-prioritized data, meaning speeds may be reduced during peak hours.
Prices: Starlink Residential: BTN 4,200 per month (approximately Rs 4,203). And, Starlink Residential Lite: BTN 3,000 per month (approximately Rs 3,002)
One of the biggest expenses for Starlink users is the cost of hardware. The company provides two hardware options: Starlink Mini and Starlink Standard.
- Starlink Mini: A compact, portable device that fits into a backpack, featuring a built-in WiFi router, lower power consumption, and download speeds exceeding 100 Mbps. BTN 17,000 (approximately Rs 17,013)
- Starlink Standard: A more robust setup designed for everyday residential use, including a Gen 3 router for a stable connection. BTN 33,000 (approximately Rs 33,027)
Reports suggest that Starlink’s pricing in India could range between Rs 5,000 and Rs 7,000 per month for the subscription, with a one-time hardware-inclusive cost between Rs 20,000 and Rs 38,000. This is considerably higher than the average revenue per user (ARPU) for broadband services in India, which falls between Rs 400 and Rs 600.
For Starlink to gain widespread adoption, it may need to introduce an India-specific pricing strategy. Additionally, collaboration with government initiatives focused on digital expansion could help make the service more affordable, particularly for rural users.
The service also faces stiff competition from existing telecom giants such as Jio and Airtel. While Starlink’s satellite-based model offers a significant advantage in areas with little to no internet connectivity, pricing and regulatory approvals remain key hurdles to its successful deployment in India. Whether SpaceX can navigate these challenges will determine how soon Indian consumers can experience the benefits of Starlink’s high-speed internet services.
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