Starlink’s upcoming launch in the country is unlikely to disrupt the domestic telecom market, with its capacity capped at around 2 million users and a steep pricing structure, minister of state for communications, Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar said on Monday.
“Starlink can have only 2 million customers across the country and offer up to 200 Mbps speed. That won’t affect telecom services,” Pemmasani said, downplaying any direct threat to telcos like Jio, Airtel, or Vodafone Idea.
High Cost, Limited Reach
He said that the upfront hardware cost of about Rs 30,000, along with an estimated monthly fee of Rs 3,000, makes it a niche product. “This is not for the typical BSNL or rural user,” he said, noting that even urban centres like Delhi would see only 50,000 to 60,000 potential connections due to limited supply.
As reported earlier, Starlink earlier this month secured its final regulatory clearance from the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe). The company also holds a GMPCS licence from the department of telecommunications, placing it alongside rivals Eutelsat OneWeb and Reliance Jio-SES in the licensed satcom space.
Enterprise & Remote Connectivity First
However, these companies are yet to receive spectrum allocation. Starlink has tied up with domestic players like Airtel and Jio for retailing its products providing ground logistics.
According to officials, the high cost of service and constrained bandwidth capacity mean Starlink’s presence will likely be confined to enterprise, government, or remote area connectivity in its initial phase. Consumer services may follow, but only in select geographies and price brackets.
