Starlink - the satellite-based internet service provider owned by Elon Musk - will begin India operations within 12 months by offering 600 to 700 Gbps, or gigabytes per second, of bandwidth, Department of Telecommunications sources told NDTV Profit Wednesday.
This initial beaming capacity will only support between 30,000 and 50,000 users at a time and in certain cities or built-up areas, but this will eventually expand to a staggering 3 Tbps, or terabytes per second, by 2027, DoT sources said, pending regulatory approval.
Two to three 'Earth station sites' - Starlink's name for centres connecting its array of satellites to the internet - have been identified, with nine 'gateways' planned per site, sources said.
A gateway is the bridge operating from an 'Earth station'. It links the user to the internet, enabling delivery of high-speed internet by connecting the satellites to the global internet infrastructure.
Starlink India Prices
Sources also said Starlink plans to introduce a direct-to-consumer, or DTC, model in India, which will allow individuals to skip intermediaries providing the same service - i.e., ISPs like Bharti Airtel, Vodafone, and Reliance Jio - and purchase a personal internet connection.
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Airtel and Jio - India's largest telecom operators and internet service providers - have already signed B2B, or business-to-business deals with Starlink to sell its satellite-based internet.
The DTC model is expected to be a premium service, with personal Starlink ground stations to cost between $250 and $600, which is roughly Rs 20,000 to Rs 50,000.
This is in line with global prices, although the company will also have one eye on India's reputation as a price-conscious market and the already low cost of data in the country.
Starlink Licence Close
With Starlink expected to rollout within nine months, or at most a year, sources said the company's Global Licensing Head, Parnil Urdhwareshe, met DoT officials this month.
The Department of Technology is in the process of securing bank guarantees from SATCOM, or satellite companies, providers, and is expected to grant Starlink a license by mid-June.
Sources, however, stressed the grant of licence is tied to Starlink's unconditional agreement to terms; Musk's company is understood to be currently reviewing these terms.
Centre Greenlights Starlink
Earlier this month the government issued a letter of intent to Starlink, which has been trying to enter the Indian market since 2022. Earlier both Airtel and Jio had opposed its entry.
However, in October last year the government decided it would allot bandwidth to Starlink.
READ | For Musk's Starlink, India Approval Could Unlock Emerging Markets
Space-focused financial firm Quilty Space projects Starlink will add three million subscribers globally in 2025, with a million coming from Asia, its director of research Caleb Henry said.
Henry told Reuters India will be the biggest contributor to Starlink's Asia growth.
With input from agencies
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