During a recent meeting between Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the establishment of a Tesla factory in India took center stage. However, Musk also expressed his keenness to introduce SpaceX’s Starlink service to the shores of India, which has been pending for some time. Referring to himself as a “fan” of the Prime Minister, Musk shared his intentions to bring Starlink to India in the near future during his media interaction after the meeting.
Musk stated, “I’m tentatively planning to visit India again next year. I am looking forward. We’re hopefully looking forward to bringing Starlink to India as well. The Starlink Internet, which I think can be incredibly helpful for remote or rural villages in India.”
Musk believes that the implementation of Starlink Technology will be of great assistance to remote or rural areas, addressing the issues faced by those communities with either no or expensive and poor Internet access.
What is Starlink?
Starlink, a global satellite network owned by Musk’s SpaceX, is designed to provide high-speed internet access to remotest areas. It is a constellation of over 1000 of satellites that orbit the Earth at 550km from the surface which is like 60 times closer to the Earth than the traditional satellites. This helps Starlink offer faster signals as the latency (time data takes in going from one point to the next) is low resulting in faster connections, good video quality during online gaming and video calls.
“Starlink is ideally suited for areas of the globe where connectivity has typically been a challenge,” the Starlink website reads. “Unbounded by traditional ground infrastructure, Starlink can deliver high-speed broadband internet to locations where access has been unreliable or completely unavailable.”
How does Starlink work?
To use Starlink, customers need to purchase a kit that includes a user terminal, which is a small dish that is mounted on the ground. The user terminal communicates with the satellites in LEO(Low Earth Orbit), which then route the data to a ground station. From there, the data is sent to the internet.
In simple words, a user terminal receives radio waves from the Starlink satellites. The user terminal converts the radio waves into digital data. The user terminal sends the digital data to a ground station. The ground station routes the digital data to the internet.
The company last year added a new portability feature to Starlink that allows subscribers to temporarily move their Starlink dish anywhere within their home continent where active internet coverage is available. It is available at an additional monthly fee for Starlink users.
How will Starlink change India’s internet connectivity picture?
Starlink has the potential to transform India’s digital infrastructure. With over 1.3 billion people, India faces the challenge of connecting remote and rural regions, where traditional internet infrastructure deployment is challenging and costly. Starlink’s constellation of thousands of LEO satellites aims to provide reliable, low-latency internet connectivity to these areas.
The arrival of Starlink in India is expected to have a profound impact across sectors. It can help bridge the digital divide in the country, enhance connectivity for small and medium enterprises, accelerate digital education, and likewise more.
Why is Starlink still not available in India?
Despite the promising potential of Starlink in India, the service is currently not available in the country. The delay can be attributed to various factors, including regulatory approvals, spectrum allocation, and logistical challenges. The company last year brought its internet services in India but soon had to shut it down due to government’s orders. The Department of Telecommunication said that Starlink Satellite Services does not have the license to offer services in India and therefore it should stop taking any further bookings for the service.
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