Starlink prepares for India debut with key partnerships
What's the story
Elon Musk's satellite broadband venture, Starlink, is gearing up for its India debut. The company has begun discussions with major telecom operators such as Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio, and Tata Communications, according to The Economic Times. It is also in talks with fiber players and internet exchanges to set up the necessary infrastructure for its services in the country.
Strategic alliances
Collaborations with data center operators and internet exchanges
Starlink is also working with data center operators like Sify Technologies, STT, Equinix, and CtrlS Datacenters. Internet exchange providers DE-CIX and Extreme are also part of the talks. Fiber infrastructure companies such as Microscan are in the mix too. Analysts estimate that Starlink's initial investment in India could be around ₹500 crore ($60 million).
Regulatory clearances
Approvals and ground stations
Starlink has already received the necessary approvals from Indian regulators and has been allocated trial bandwidth. The company has also identified 17 sites across India for its ground stations. These stations will play a crucial role in connecting its low-earth orbit (LEO) satellites with terrestrial fiber and data networks, as per Indian regulations requiring all downlink traffic to be stored and routed locally.
Expansion strategy
Preparing for competition in satellite broadband space
Starlink's early partnerships with fiber and data center providers indicate that it is "gearing for scale," especially with competition from Bharti-backed Eutelsat OneWeb, Reliance Jio's satcom joint venture with SES, Amazon's Project Kuiper, and Apple's satcom partner Globalstar. Last week, DE-CIX confirmed its partnership with Starlink while Extreme IXP said the satellite operator has already connected to its Mumbai port.
Service launch
Service expected to offer speeds between 25Mbps and 220Mbps
Starlink's service is expected to offer speeds between 25Mbps and 220Mbps. While these speeds may not seem revolutionary in cities with established fiber networks, they could be game-changing for areas where internet access is unreliable or non-existent. However, early indications suggest that Starlink's service will come at a premium cost. Users may have to pay an upfront equipment fee of ₹30,000-35,000 for the hardware kit.