Elon Musk’s Starlink is coming to India. Here’s how it will work

Starlink is coming to India.

The satellite internet company owned by Elon Musk is set to enter the Indian market.

The SpaceX-owned firm has inked deals with two major Indian telecoms.

The announcements came weeks after Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Musk in Washington where they discussed issues including space, mobility, technology and innovation.

But what do we know about the deals? How will Starlink work in India and on your mobile phones? How does the system work?

Let’s take a closer look:

What do we know about the deals?

As per The Times of India, Bharti Airtel on Tuesday announced that it would bring the high-speed internet provider Starlink to India – the first such agreement signed in the country with Musk’s firm.

Airtel said it the two companies will look at offering Starlink equipment in Airtel’s retail outlets.

The company said it will also provide Starlink via Airtel to businesses as a way to connect communities, schools, and health centers.

“Working with SpaceX to offer Starlink to Airtel customers in India is a significant milestone and further demonstrates our commitment to next-generation satellite connectivity,” said Bharti Airtel managing director and vice-chairman Gopal Vittal said.

The deal will “explore how Starlink can complement and expand Airtel’s offerings, and how Airtel’s expertise in the Indian market complements SpaceX’s direct offerings to consumers and businesses,” the company’s statement said.

Then, on Wednesday, Reliance Jio said it too had signed a deal to bring Starlink to India, as per Hindustan Times.

The company said it too would examine selling Starlink through its retail and online stores.

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“Through this agreement, the parties will leverage Jio’s position as the world’s largest mobile operator in terms of data traffic and Starlink’s position as the world’s leading low Earth orbit satellite constellation operator to deliver reliable broadband services across the country, including the most rural and remote regions of India. Jio will not only offer Starlink equipment in its retail outlets but will establish a mechanism to support customer service installation and activation,” the company was quoted as saying.

Both deals are subject to SpaceX receiving a green light from the government to sell Starlink in India.

Musk has long wanted Starlink to enter the world’s most populous market, but the firm’s entry into India has been delayed due to regulatory challenges, security concerns and opposition from domestic telecom giants like billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Jio.

As per Hindustan Times, the two major telecom firms had been at odds over how India ought to allocate spectrum for Starlink.

While Reliance wanted the auction, the government ultimately decided it would be allocate the spectrum – as other countries do.

In November, telecoms minister Jyotiraditya Scindia had said Starlink had yet to comply with security norms, and that a license for satellite communications services would be issued only after the company meets all the requirements.

How does the system work?

As per Business Today, normal broadband services use fiber optics or cell towers.

But Starlink, which is part of SpaceX, relies on low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites.

It essentially provides internet to users via radio waves.

Ground stations send signals to its LEO satellites – of which it has around 6,900 such devices orbiting Earth – which in turn send the data back to Starlink users around the world.

As per The Times of India, each Starlink satellite weighs around 260 kilos.

The company provides users are provided a kit comprising a satellite dish, a dish mount, and a Wi-Fi router base unit.

A power cable for the basis unit and a 75-foot cable connecting the dish to the router.

As per Business Today, Starlink’s satellite dish automatically connects with the nearest Starlink satellites.

This results in continued connectivity.

Though Starlink is designed to be used in one location, it can also be converted to provide internet access to vehicles, boats and aircraft.

Ukraine’s forces have successfully been using Starlink satellites to fend off Russian troops.

As per NDTV Profit, Starlink is likely to provide download speeds anywhere from 25 to 220 Mbps and upload speeds from 5 to 20 Mbps.

Its expected latency is likely to be between 25 and 50 milliseconds on land.

This makes it useful to stream videos, play games online and hold virtual meets.

While there is no word on the price for Starlink in India, it may be instructive to look at the plans available in the US.

The basic plan for home users available for $120 (Rs 10,467) per month, while the roaming plan costs $165 (Rs 14,393) per month.

For businesses, plans range from $500 (Rs 43,000) to $5,000 (Rs 4,36,000) per month.

As per Business Today, Starlink is likely to compare unfavourably when it comes to providers such as JioFiber and Airtel Xstream when it comes to costs and download speeds.

However, Starlink’s USP is that it can provide internet to even the most rural and geographically isolated areas.

This could prove particularly useful in a country like India with its vast remote and mountainous areas.

At least 40 per cent of India’s more than 1.4 billion people still don’t have access to the internet.

Cheap satellite broadband is needed to bridge this gap.

With inputs from agencies

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