Technology: At Rs. 3k per month, Starlink may launch high-speed Internet in a year
Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: Elon Musk-owned Starlink, which is available in more than 100 countries, may launch high-speed satellite Internet connectivity services across India in the next 12 months.
Competing with homegrown Jio, however, it is expected to come at a higher price tag. For an unlimited high-speed broadband, it would be priced at Rs. 3,000 per month, plus a one-time hardware cost of Rs. 33,000 for the receiver kit, the broadband access device, the media reported on Monday.
After a long wait, Starlink, which is owned by Musk’s SpaceX, got a license from the Union Ministry of Telecommunications, and is expected to roll out in the next one year.
Earlier reports suggested that Starlink will begin its services in India with an initial bandwidth capacity of 600 to 700 Gbps (gigabits per second). This internet speed would likely be enough to support thousands of concurrent users across the country. The company is expected to submit its request for trial spectrum soon, and it could be granted within 15 to 20 days of submission.
Starlink is currently offering high-speed internet connectivity between 25 and 220 Mbps, with many users reportedly experiencing speeds over 100 Mbps. This internet connectivity is offered without the dependency on fibre or mobile networks. Instead, satellite connectivity is offered through Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellation, which delivers reliable, fast Internet with minimal latency, making it ideal to isolated regions which have limited infrastructure.
As of now, Starlink is operational in more than 100 countries, and is offering residential plans that vary based on region and use. The company recently started its connectivity in Bhutan and Bangladesh as well.
In India, Starlink will compete with companies like Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio Satellite Communications, which also recently got regulatory approval to offer satellite-based broadband in India. Additionally, Amazon’s Kuiper project is also awaiting approvals.
Interestingly, to support the rollout in India, Starlink has also signed agreements with telecom giants Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel to tap into existing infrastructure and ease regulatory navigation.
