Elon musk starlink: Taking a major step towards digitally connecting the most remote areas of India, the satellite internet project Starlink of Allen Musk’s company SpaceX has received official approval in India. This license issued by the Ministry of Telecom now allows it to start satellite based broadband services in India. Along with this, Starlink will now compete with companies like Reliance Jio and Vanaweb.

How does Starlink work?

Starlink does not depend on traditional fiber or mobile towers. It sends internet signals directly to dish antenna in the user’s house or office through thousands of small satellites present in the lower class of the earth. This dish then reaches the internet to the user through Wi-Fi router.

So far, more than 6,000 Starlinks are in satellite space and are planned to reach 42,000 by 2027. Its internet speed can be between 50 and 250 Mbps, which can revolutionize rural and inaccessible areas, it is necessary to show a clean sky.

Why does India need Starlink?

Although the Government of India has been working on rural broadband expansion through projects like India for many years, connectivity in areas like Ladakh, Arunachal, Jammu and Kashmir, Andaman is still weak. It is expensive and difficult to install fiber or towers in mountains, forests and islands. In such a situation, systems like Starlinks are capable of giving fast and permanent internet depending on the framework without land. Starlink can also play an important role in facilities like emergency services, border monitoring, telemedicine, online education and e-governance.

Digital lifeline for villages

The real impact of Starlink will be seen in villages and tribal areas where there are neither banks, nor hospitals, nor good connectivity. Services like telemedicine, digital education, government schemes and online banking can now reach these places. The government is also considering a plan to make it subsidized to the villagers by giving subsidy under the public-private partnership model.

What will be free internet?

Currently, Starlink has not fixed the price in India but in the US and Europe its monthly cost is Rs 8,000-10,000 and a hardware kit (dish + router) up to Rs 50,000-60,000. Prices in India can be kept relatively low, especially for rural consumers.

Data security and future path

The Government of India has laid a condition to store the data of Indian users in India under strict rules of data localization. There will be no compromise on national security and data sovereignty. In 2021, Starlink took pre-order unlicensed pre-order which was stopped by the government. But now after getting all permission, it is being formally started since 2025.

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