Starlink Plans Yet To Be Out In India, A Look At Pricing In Other Nations

Elon Musk's satellite communication company Starlink has received the licence from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), a key milestone that will take it closer towards launching commercial operations in India. 

It is the third firm, after Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio Satellite Communications, to have been issued the licence to provide satellite internet services in the country. A fourth applicant, Amazon's Kuiper, is awaiting approval. 

According to DoT sources, the satellite-based internet service provider owned by billionaire Elon Musk will begin operations in India within 12 months by offering 600 to 700 Gbps, or gigabytes per second, of bandwidth.

While the pricing for the low-Earth-orbit satellite internet service is yet to be announced in India, where data prices are currently among the cheapest in the world, former Starlink India Country Director Sanjay Bhargava said in 2022 that it would cost Rs 1.58 lakh per connection for the first year. From the second year, the cost would reduce to Rs 1.15 lakh, he said. 

Currently, Starlink has its market in over 100 countries, with residential and roaming plans. The residential plan, in most places, is categorised into two - Residential Lite (for low usage, smaller households) and Residential (for bigger households). 

According to business news website TechCentral, Zambia is one of the cheapest countries for Starlink satellite internet services in the world and the US, most expensive. 

Here is a look at Starlink's monthly pricing across countries:

In Asia, Starlink is mostly available in Mongolia, Japan, Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Jordan, Yemen and Azerbaijan. 

None of India's neighbours, except Bhutan and Bangladesh, have access to this internet service. In Bhutan, the Residential Lite Plan costs about Rs 3,000 and Standard Residential Plan about Rs 4,200.

In Bangladesh, the Residential Lite costs nearly Rs 3,000 and the Residential plan costs Rs 4,000.

Malaysia offers the Residential Lite plan for around Rs 2,600 and Residential plan for around Rs 4,600. The internet service is available for nearly Rs 4,000 in Japan and nearly Rs 6,000 in the Philippines.

In America, the internet service has been launched in almost every country, except a few places like Bolivia and Venezuela. The Residential Lite costs around Rs 2,500 and the Residential, Rs 4,000 in New York. In Canada, the first one is available for Rs 6,800 and the second, for nearly Rs 9,000.

Similarly, Starlink services are available in a majority of European countries, barring Bosnia, Ukraine,  and Herzegovina, and Serbia. In France, the Residential Lite costs Rs 2,800 and the Residential plan, nearly Rs 4,000. The United Kingdom currently offers only the Residential plan for approximately Rs 8,700. The Residential Lite and Residential plans are available in Italy for Rs 3,400 and nearly Rs 5,000, respectively.

Niger, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique are among the few African nations currently offering Starlink services. The Residential Lite is available for around Rs 4,000, and the Residential for around Rs 6,000 in Ghana.

Nearly all of Australia and New Zealand are covered by the internet service provider.