How Will Elon Musk’s Starlink Help Indian Internet Users? Expert Says This

New Delhi:

Elon Musk’s SpaceX will soon offer Starlink’s satellite internet service to its customers in India. The country’s two largest operators – Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio – have signed a deal with Mr Musk’s company to launch mass satellite broadband services. Sandeep Budki, journalist and telecom expert, spoke with NDTV on what the deal means and how it will change the internet services in the country.

Mr Budki said the service will provide “last mile connectivity” in the remote areas.

“There are several remote areas where internet services have not reached yet. But, even if it’s there, it’s very slow. What can be used there? Forget about wires and towers, we will now use satellite. The most important thing about satellite connectivity is that wherever there is an open area, there will be satellite coverage,” he said.

“Now, using this technology, both Airtel and Jio want to provide broadband services so that internet connectivity reaches the common man.

Starlink provides high-speed internet access to remote locations by low Earth orbit satellites.

After the launch, people would also be able to use Internet services on domestic flights. This service is already provided by several airline operators outside India.

“Packages would also be made for domestic airlines in India, and people can take advantage of it,” Mr Budki said.

Mr Budki said there would be obstacles in the satellite broadband services as well, but such instances will be few and far between.

“There is hardware, there is technology, sometime or the other, it can fail. And people will have to face obstacles,” he said.

Significance Of Starlink’s Pact With Airtel, Jio

Jio, India’s largest telecom operator, will stock Starlink equipment in its retail stores, giving Starlink a direct distribution point in thousands of such outlets across the country. The Reliance deal follows a similar partnership announcement between Starlink and India’s No. 2 telecom player Bharti Airtel a day before. Both the Airtel and Jio deals are conditional upon Starlink obtaining government approval to begin operations in the country.

“Many people in India don’t know about Starlink. They may know something about Elon Musk. Here, people know about Airtel and Jio…. So, when they receive the government’s approval, services will be launched,” Mr Budki said.

He also said that at first, this technology will be used for B2B services, such as enterprises and factories. “It will be used in education and health (sectors) first because from the consumer’s perspective, the prices can be on the higher side. There are no details of pricing yet. But, if you look at international pricing, then you can say that the services will be expensive.”

He, however, added that the pricing will depend on the subsidies, if any.

“The pricing will depend on the subsidies. And now Jio is also involved in this field, and whenever it launches a new service, the price is such that the competitors get a little tense and the consumers get excited… I feel that when these services get approved, Jio and Airtel will definitely give free trials for some time.” Mr Budki said.

Starlink provides coverage to more than 125 markets around the world.

He also said the countries which are already using Starlink services “haven’t received any major complaint yet”.

“If we talk about Ukraine, the country’s maximum internet connectivity is coming through Starlink. This means that the data is being used on a real-time basis for army commands or coordinated efforts,” he said.

Mr Budki feels that Airtel and Jio have tied up as both of the companies are working on their satellite connectivity. “Jio showcased its services at the recently-held Indian Mobile Congress. Airtel had done it before. So it shows that they are working on satellite connectivity. Maybe they are not fully ready yet. So, for now, they have partnered with Starlink. Maybe this will be cost-effective. That is why they are using it. I feel in future, they will launch their own services too.”

The agreement comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Elon Musk in Washington last month. While the tech mogul’s business interests in India are currently limited to social media platform X, electric vehicle maker Tesla is preparing its entry into the world’s fifth-largest economy.

Starlink has been waiting since 2022 for licenses to operate commercially in India, with no clear timeline yet on a decision. It has been delayed for reasons including national security concerns.