Follow Us "Asianet Image")
Elon Musk's Starlink is close to launching satellite internet service in India, having received a Letter of Interest from Department of Telecommunications. Final approval from IN-SPACE is pending, but the service is expected to be operational soon.
Delhi: Elon Musk's satellite internet service, Starlink, is gearing up to launch in India. Union Minister for Communications, Jyotiraditya Scindia, announced that Starlink is in the process of receiving an operating permit in India. He stated that the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has already issued a Letter of Interest (LOI) to Starlink. The Financial Express, citing The Print, reports that only the final approval from the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACE) is pending.
Scindia's statement on Starlink's launch in India
"Currently, two companies, OneWeb and Reliance, have received licenses for satellite connectivity. The process for Starlink is also almost complete. The LOI has been issued. I believe Starlink will receive the license soon. The next step is to get approval from IN-SPACE. All three license holders must go through this process before commencing operations," Scindia said.
Scindia pointed out that OneWeb and Reliance have been granted limited spectrum access solely for preliminary testing purposes. He added that Starlink is expected to follow a similar path once it secures official licensing. Following this, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India will provide policy guidelines for administrative spectrum allocation, governing commercial deployment.
Related Articles
India TV reports that the minister referred to satellite internet as another flower in the bouquet of telecommunications, emphasizing the growing diversity in India's connectivity infrastructure. Scindia opined that in addition to mobile and optical fiber connectivity, satellite connectivity plays a crucial role, especially in remote areas where laying physical cables is challenging.
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has already submitted recommendations for allocating satellite internet spectrum. India TV, citing Moneycontrol, reports that a senior government official stated that following the receipt of a Letter of Intent on May 7, Starlink has been given time until June 7 to fulfill compliance requirements. The official indicated that the company has already submitted crucial security-related documents and assured adherence to the new licensing conditions, expressing confidence in receiving the license within a month.
Starlink's packages in other nations
Meanwhile, after launching in Bhutan, Starlink has now extended its satellite internet service to Bangladesh. In Bangladesh, the monthly fee for Starlink's residential plan starts at 6,000 BDT, approximately ₹4,200 in Indian currency. To begin, users also need to pay a one-time fee of 47,000 BDT (approximately ₹33,000) for the standard kit. Additionally, a handling and shipping charge of 2,800 BDT (approximately ₹2,000) applies, bringing the total initial investment to around ₹37,200.
In Bhutan, the Starlink Residential Lite plan is priced at 3,000 NU (approximately ₹3,100/month) and offers internet speeds ranging from 23 Mbps to 100 Mbps. Meanwhile, the standard Residential plan costs 4,200 NU (approximately ₹4,300/month) and provides speeds from 25 Mbps to 110 Mbps.
