Elon Musk’s satellite internet venture, Starlink, is expected to begin offering services in India at a monthly cost of around ₹3,000, according to Dr Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani, Minister of State for Rural Development and Communications. He also stated that Starlink does not pose any threat to the current telecom operators in the country.
Dr Pemmasani explained that while the monthly subscription would be near ₹3,000, the cost of the Starlink terminal will be quite high, which may limit large-scale adoption. The service is expected to support only about 20 lakh connections across India.
The minister said, “Satellite communication services like Starlink cannot provide meaningful pan India connectivity and are not a risk to existing telecom players,” dismissing concerns about Starlink disrupting the broadband market.
The rollout of Starlink in India is still awaiting regulatory clearances. Meanwhile, the company has signed non-exclusive commercial agreements with Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel. These partnerships will allow Starlink to support enterprise and backhaul connectivity using satellite infrastructure.
While Starlink plans to provide direct-to-consumer services in remote areas, the collaboration with major telecom operators is aimed at boosting internet access in rural and underserved regions. Satellite capacity will act as a supplement to existing ground networks.
Starlink had earlier paused pre-orders and refunded Indian users after the Department of Telecommunications flagged policy issues in 2021. The current plan positions satellite broadband as a complementary solution rather than a replacement for traditional networks.
Dr Pemmasani also mentioned that satellite internet may not be able to match the scale or cost-efficiency of terrestrial networks, especially in urban and semi-urban areas.
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