Starlink Receives Official Licence in India as Airtel and Jio Join Forces with SpaceX.
Science and Technology
In mid–June 2025, India’s Department of Telecommunications granted an official licence to Starlink (SpaceX’s satellite internet service), as Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio signed partnership deals to distribute and support it.
- On 17 June 2025, Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia announced via X that Starlink had secured its licence to provide internet services in India. He hailed it as a transformative step, calling satellite connectivity the “next frontier” and a catalyst for bridging the nation’s digital divide.
- With over 40% of India’s 1.4 billion population residing in areas lacking reliable broadband, Starlink’s LEO-based architecture—using satellites approximately 550 km above Earth—promises high-speed (25–220 Mbps), low-latency internet even in mountainous and forested regions.
- In March 2025, Airtel and Reliance Jio each signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with SpaceX to co-market Starlink. Under these partnerships, telcos will handle sales, kit installation, customer support, and bulk enterprise distribution via their existing retail networks.
Main Point :- (i) Starlink’s hardware kit (dish, modem, tripod) is expected to cost around ₹33,000. Monthly unlimited plans may be priced at ₹3,000, with a potential low-cost promo plan near ₹840.
(ii) Following the licence grant, the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Center (IN‑SPACe) is expected to allocate trial spectrum within 15–20 days. Full commercial services are anticipated late 2025 or early 2026, once all technical and security clearances are complete.
(iii) Telecom incumbents Airtel and Jio, via COAI, have raised concerns about proposed low satellite spectrum fees—currently around 4% annual revenue—which they argue may disadvantage terrestrial operators that pay over 20% through auctions.
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