Elon Musk's Starlink Satellite Internet In India Soon, Telecom Minister Scindia Shares Big Update
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Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia confirmed that Starlink, backed by Elon Musk's SpaceX, will soon start operations in India, enhancing connectivity in remote areas.
Union Minister of Communications Jyotiraditya Scindia on Thursday confirmed that Starlink, the satellite internet venture backed by Elon Musk's SpaceX, will soon begin operations in India.
Calling satellite internet 'another flower in the bouquet of telecommunications," Scindia highlighted the growing diversity in India's connectivity infrastructure. 'In addition to mobile and optical fibre connectivity, satellite connectivity plays a vital role, especially in far-flung and remote areas where laying physical cables is challenging," he said.
The minister confirmed that Starlink is set to receive the third licence for satellite broadband services. 'After this, the government will allocate spectrum, and the service will begin soon in the country," he added.
Starlink has been given time until June 7 to meet compliance requirements after receiving a Letter of Intent (LoI) on May 7, a senior government official told Moneycontrol. The company has already submitted key security-related documents and provided undertakings to fulfil the new licence conditions. 'They will get the licence within this month," the official said.
How Starlink Satellite Internet Works
Since its launch in 2019, Starlink has rapidly grown and now faces a long waiting list as demand for its service keeps rising.
Starlink provides internet by sending radio signals from ground stations up to a large network of satellites orbiting close to Earth, which then beam the data back to users on the ground.
What sets Starlink apart is the number of satellites and how near they orbit. Traditional satellite internet usually relies on one large satellite about 22,000 miles above Earth—about the size of a bus—that offers speeds up to 100-150 megabits per second.
Starlink, however, operates thousands of smaller satellites, each about 22 feet long, flying much closer—about 550 km above Earth, which is around 63 times nearer than traditional satellites. This close distance helps reduce delays and allows Starlink to deliver faster internet speeds, ranging from 20 to 250 megabits per second.
Thanks to this unique setup, Starlink can offer high-speed, low-latency internet ideal for streaming, video calls, gaming, and reaching remote areas where regular broadband isn't available.
Starlink has also played a crucial role in providing internet connectivity to war-torn Ukraine and its military. After Russia's invasion in February 2022, Elon Musk quickly sent thousands of Starlink terminals to Ukraine to replace communication networks damaged or destroyed during the conflict.
First Published:
June 05, 2025, 15:08 IST
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