Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet company will soon offer Internet services in India to its customers. The Tesla-backed firm will apply for a commercial license to provide broadband internet access in the country. The announcement came days after the Department of Telecommunications, Ministry of Communications, Government of India warned Starlink to obtain the necessary permissions to offer satellite-based internet services in the country.
SpaceX launched 48 Starlink satellites off the coast of Florida on Thursday. From Arizona to Alabama, people could spot glimmers of stars in the sky as the satellites orbiting the Earth.
What is Starlink?
Across the globe, Starlink offers high-speed, low-latency broadband internet. Orders are fulfilled first-come-first-served within each coverage area. By deploying advanced satellites in a low orbit, Starlink enables high-speed video conferencing, online gaming, streaming, and other high-bandwidth activities that have not been possible with satellite internet in the past.
Sanjay Bhargava, Starlink’s Country Director in India, said in a LinkedIn post, “We hope to have applied for a commercial license by 31 January 2022 (unless we run into some major obstacles).” Two guides will help think about and plan for Starlink – one for individuals and the private sector and one for states and union territories. Starlink does not have a license to offer services in India. As a result of the DoT’s orders, Starlink closed its pre-booking portal.
In India, Starlink plans to install 2,000,000 devices by December 2022. Of these, 80 per cent will be installed in rural areas. Bhargava wrote on LinkedIn that India would need to collaborate across stakeholders, service providers, and technologies to provide 100% broadband connectivity.
SpaceX now has a 100 per cent owned subsidiary in India, which allows it to apply for licenses and open bank accounts. Bhargava also revealed that the company has already received 5,000 pre-orders from India. Starlink had charged a deposit of $99 or 7,350 for customers to be placed on a priority list, but now it is unclear whether any of that can be processed since the company has not applied for an India license. The amount will be deducted from the monthly fee if the services are activated.
As Bhargava said, Starlink plans to work with rural constituencies eager to access 100% broadband. The company plans to provide the services by terrestrial broadband, but the hard-to-reach areas will be handled by satellite providers such as Starlink.
