Starlink, the satellite internet service of Elon Musk's SpaceX, is poised to enter the Indian market after receiving a license from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT). This makes Starlink the third company, following Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio Satellite Communications, to be granted such a license in India. Amazon's Kuiper is another applicant awaiting approval. Sources within the DoT indicate that Starlink aims to commence operations within 12 months, offering bandwidth in the range of 600 to 700 Gbps.
While official pricing for Starlink's services in India is yet to be revealed, previous statements from former Starlink India Country Director Sanjay Bhargava in 2022 suggested an initial cost of ₹1.58 lakh per connection for the first year, reducing to ₹1.15 lakh from the second year onwards. However, recent reports hint at more competitive pricing, with potential plans starting as low as ₹850 per month. These competitively priced packages may even offer unlimited data, are likely to accelerate Starlink's growth across the country. Initial offerings in India could offer up to 700Mbps internet speeds, priced between ₹840 and ₹7,000. Previous reports suggested that the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has proposed a surcharge of about ₹500 per urban customer. The prices may also be impacted by adjusted gross revenue, a license fee of 8 per cent, and minimum spectrum charges of ₹3,500 per block. Factoring in all those costs could end up in a total monthly subscription cost of around ₹1,000. The hardware kit will be charged separately, similar to those in fixed broadband connections and could reportedly be available between ₹30,000-51,000.
Starlink's entry into India is expected to revolutionize internet connectivity, particularly in remote and underserved areas where traditional infrastructure is lacking. With services already available in over 100 countries, Starlink uses a network of low-Earth orbit satellites to deliver high-speed internet access.
It should be noted that Starlink has signed pacts with Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel, which together control more than 70% of the country's telecom market, to bring the U.S. satellite internet giant's services to India. Starlink's services will be available in India through Airtel and Reliance Jio's existing offline network. That means the pricing of its internet plans will not be decided only by SpaceX—Reliance Jio and Airtel are expected to have a say.
Starlink Pricing in Other Nations
While India awaits the official pricing structure, examining costs in other countries provides a comparative perspective:
These prices reflect the Residential Lite and Residential plans.
The arrival of Starlink in India holds significant promise for bridging the digital divide and expanding access to high-speed internet across the nation, it is however important to note that Starlink is becoming increasingly affordable in Africa, with monthly plans in countries like Kenya and Zimbabwe significantly cheaper than traditional internet service providers, often at less than half the cost. The actual pricing and service details for the Indian market remain to be seen.
