Starlink Set to Launch in India? Company Officials Meet Union Minister to Discuss Rollout

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): There have been talks for the last several months about Elon Musk's company Starlink launching satellite-based internet service in India, but now it seems that the wait for high-speed satellite internet connectivity in the country may end soon. Recently, several senior representatives of Starlink met Union Minister Piyush Goyal and discussed future plans. After this meeting, speculations have intensified about Starlink's entry into India.

A major advantage of Starlink's satellite-based internet connectivity will be that it can easily provide internet even in those areas where there is no tower or cable broadband facility of traditional mobile networks. This will enable digital connectivity to be provided even in remote and inaccessible areas of the country.

However, no official information has been given by the company or the government about how much will have to be paid to get Starlink connection in India and what will be its monthly expense. But according to some reports, its monthly price in India can be around Rs 9,000 to Rs 10,500. This price is currently equal to the fee charged in countries like America. If it is launched in India at this price, then it may be out of the reach of a large section of common citizens.

Apart from the monthly fee, customers will also have to buy a special kind of kit to avail the Starlink service. This kit will include satellite dish, router and support required for installation. According to reports, the price of this Starlink kit can range from Rs 30,000 to Rs 50,000. It is estimated that customers may have to spend a total of up to Rs 1.5 lakh for the first year, which will include the price of the kit and monthly fee, while from the second year only monthly service fee will have to be paid.

Talking about speed, high speed internet connectivity is going to be available in India through Starlink. It is being told that users will generally get strong internet speed ranging from 100Mbps to 200 Mbps. It will also have less latency (time taken to transfer data) as compared to the existing broadband, which will provide a much better experience in tasks like online gaming, video streaming and video calls.

Given the meeting with the Union Minister and the need for satellite internet, it is believed that the government may soon open the way for Starlink or other satellite internet providers to start operations in India. However, the price aspect will remain an important factor that will decide how many people this service will be able to reach.