Elon Musk hints at early launch of Starlink in India, here are the details you should know

By Divya BhatiTesla chief Elon Musk met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the US on Wednesday. After the meeting, Musk revealed his interest in setting up new projects in India and even hinted at bringing “Starlink” – a satellite internet service provided by SpaceX, which he also owns – to India.

According to a report by ANI, Musk expressed his interest in bringing connectivity to remote areas in India. He stated, “I think India has more promise than any other large country in the world.” Musk also mentioned the potential of the Starlink Internet service, saying it could be incredibly beneficial for remote or rural villages where Internet access is either nonexistent or prohibitively expensive and slow. “The Starlink Internet, which I think can be incredibly helpful for sort of remote or rural villages where they perhaps either may have no access to the Internet or the Internet is very expensive and slow,” he added.

Notably, Starlink is planning to expand its network across the globe and India is one of the prominent countries to unfold its plan. In March, the company successfully launched a group of 52 Starlink internet satellites into orbit from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The company is further planning to position a total of 12,000 satellites in low Earth orbit.

Starlink has already sought permission to deploy an additional 30,000 satellites for its plan to expand its satellite network. This aligns with the company’s aim to provide global coverage and address the challenges of delivering internet connectivity to remote areas where traditional infrastructure is limited or unavailable.

Starlink claims that its network can deliver “high-speed and low latency internet” to users all over the world as it uses advanced satellites and user hardware which will be backed by the experience of both spacecraft and on-orbit operations. The company is also deploying its services to provide internet in flights.

But here is a thing. The plan of Starlink to build its network across India is currently conflicting with Ambani’s Reliance. According to a Reuters report, the conflict between Elon Musk’s Starlink and Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance over the distribution of satellite broadband spectrum in India is intensifying. On one side Starlink is advocating for the Indian government to assign licences for satellite broadband spectrum without conducting an auction, citing it as a natural resource that should be shared among companies. They argue that an auction could lead to geographical restrictions and increased costs.

On the other hand, Reliance disagrees and supports the idea of conducting an auction. Mukesh Ambani’s company argues that foreign satellite service providers, including Starlink, could offer voice and data services, creating competition for traditional telecom players. Reliance believes that an auction is necessary to ensure a level playing field for all participants. Reliance reportedly continues to urge the Indian government to conduct an auction for satellite spectrum rather than complying with the demands of foreign companies.