Starlink's India entry nearer, Nvidia pips Microsoft in market cap again - The Economic Times Video
In today's episode of Two Sharp with ET, Nisha Poddar decodes Elon Musk's Starlink finally making an entry in India and Nvidia once again claiming the title of the world's most valuable publicly traded company, surpassing Microsoft with a market cap of $3.45 trillion. Elon Musk's Starlink is nearing final approval to operate in India after securing a Letter of Intent from the Department of Telecommunications. OneWeb and Reliance Jio are already testing satellite internet services, and now Amazon's Project Kuiper is gearing up for entry. Nvidia's stock surged 3% on June 3, driven by explosive demand for its AI chips,and nearly 24% over the past month. The company recently posted a 69% year-over-year revenue increase in Q1, fueled by strong sales to tech giants like OpenAI, Meta, and xAI. For more details, tune in to today's episode.
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India Today
42 minutes ago
- India Today
Starlink launch in India: What it means for internet access and free services as Musk takes on Jio, Airtel
The Indian government has recently approved Elon Musk's proposal to bring Starlink services to India. While the company may take some time to activate services in the country, it is surely a turning point for the internet in India. Why? Starlink, already available in 100 countries, is a satellite broadband initiative from SpaceX, and is on a mission to revolutionise internet connectivity by beaming high-speed access from space. Now that it is coming to India, the internet will reach every nook and corner of the a nod from the ministry, Starlink has joined an exclusive group of just three firms, alongside OneWeb and Reliance Jio, to secure a crucial step towards offering satellite-based telecom services in India. The company has already been issued a Letter of Intent (LoI) by the Department of Telecommunications, which serves as an initial go-ahead from the before it can begin rolling out its satellite internet infrastructure across the country, Starlink must now obtain a crucial clearance from the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (In-SPACe). This approval from the national space regulator is essential before the company can commence trial operations and be allotted provisional spectrum. So, now the question is: When will Starlink launch in India?Starlink launch in India? While the exact date of the roll out is not official yet, we have enough information to assume. Before we deduce that, let's circle in what we know so far. Starlink has been awaiting regulatory approval to begin commercial operations in India since 2022. However, the process has been held up by various factors — including concerns related to national security, according to a report by May 7, it took a major step towards launching its services in India after receiving a Letter of Intent from the Department of Telecommunications. Now, with a vital regulatory licence secured, Elon Musk's satellite internet venture is poised to kick off operations on Indian has made no secret of its eagerness to begin. While a fourth contender, Amazon's Kuiper, is still awaiting the necessary approvals to launch its satellite internet services in India, the reports indicate that once Starlink submits its application for trial spectrum, it is likely to be granted within 15 to 20 this year, the company quietly entered into unexpected partnerships with two of India's largest telecom players, Reliance Jio, led by Mukesh Ambani, and Bharti Airtel, to support its local India pricingAccording to a media report published last month, Starlink is expected to roll out plans starting at just $10 a month, which translates to roughly Rs 850, positioning it among the most budget-friendly satellite internet offerings worldwide. This pricing strategy aligns well with the Indian market, where affordability and high performance are often key to consumer competitively priced packages, which may even offer unlimited data, are likely to accelerate Starlink's growth across the country. The company is reportedly aiming to attract as many as 10 million users as it establishes its presence in does Starlink work?advertisementStarlink aims to provide high-speed internet, even in places where there is no network. But how does it do it? Instead of relying on traditional ground-based infrastructure such as fibre or cable, Starlink uses a vast constellation of low Earth orbit satellites to deliver fast and stable internet, particularly to regions where conventional services are patchy, slow or entirely transmitting data directly between satellites and ground stations, it effectively sidesteps many of the limitations that plague traditional broadband networks, offering a lifeline to rural and remote communities across the globe.
Mint
2 hours ago
- Mint
How the cybertruck came to embody Tesla's problems
The bromance between Elon Musk and President Trump is ending at a difficult time for Tesla. The electric-vehicle maker lost roughly $150 billion of market value Thursday—its biggest ever drop—after the Tesla CEO and Trump traded insults. Sales of Teslas have slumped this year. Tariffs could disrupt the supply of key components. The sprawling Republican tax-and-spending bill would end tax credits for EV buyers. And Tesla's Cybertruck has been a disappointment. Musk set high expectations for the Cybertruck, telling investors it would be Tesla's 'best product ever." The angular, stainless steel pickup was supposed to generate buzz for Tesla by showcasing new technology and unlocking the lucrative truck market. Instead, it has become synonymous with Musk's polarizing stint in politics, exposing some owners to graffiti or middle fingers from other drivers. And its reputation has been tarnished among Tesla fans because of a spate of recalls and manufacturing issues that have resulted in cycles of repairs. In the U.S., the company sold fewer than 40,000 Cybertrucks in 2024—well below Musk's ultimate goal of 250,000 a year. In the first quarter of 2025, Tesla sold around 7,100 Cybertrucks in the U.S., according to registration data from S&P Global Mobility. Ford's F-150 Lightning pickup outsold it. In an effort to boost sales, Tesla has rolled out lower-price versions of the truck and started offering buyers incentives such as 0% financing and free upgrades. Almost as soon as the $100,000 Cybertruck hit the road, quality problems began to multiply. Reports on social media cited cracked windshields and spotting from so-called rail dust, orange discoloration similar to rust. In its first year, Tesla recalled the truck seven times to fix dangerous defects. In March, with large metal panels falling off the trucks, the tally rose to eight. Some of the quality problems were known and documented internally before the truck went on sale, including issues with the accelerator pad and windshield wiper that later triggered recalls, said former employees who worked on the Cybertruck. But there was pressure inside Tesla to get the truck to market quickly, according to these employees. Tesla didn't respond to requests for comment. 'Elon Musk will tell you the biggest professional mistake was the falcon doors on the Model X," said David Fick, a longtime Tesla owner who got his Cybertruck in March. He referred to the complex door design that opens upward and hinges at the roof. 'I believe that the Cybertruck is going to go down as an even bigger corporate stumble." The retired banker in Boynton Beach, Fla., chose to wait more than a year to buy his Cybertruck, hopeful that many of the biggest issues would be identified before he drove his off the lot. 'They do a lot of bleeding-edge stuff where they rush to the market and then you're a beta tester as an owner," Fick said. He paid about $72,000 for the car, plus $7,300 for window tinting and a custom wrap for exterior trim panels known as cant rails, covering his new car in a metallic maroon color. Soon after, Tesla recalled cant rails because they could become unglued. 'I've had tons of recalls on my Teslas over the years," said Fick, who added that the cars are worth the hassle. 'Eighty percent were fixed by [software] updates, but these are physical things we are dealing with now." Musk unveiled the prototype for the Cybertruck in 2019. At the time, he said it would cost $39,900, with a battery range of up to 500 miles—an ambitious combination that would be a stretch for any EV maker. Work on the vehicle was delayed a couple of years, leaving engineering and manufacturing teams with only a few months to do final testing before the trucks went to customers, former employees said. Musk tried to temper expectations around how quickly Tesla could increase production, given its unique design. 'There is always some chance that Cybertruck will flop, because it is so unlike anything else," he wrote on social media in July 2021. Still, he promoted some of its most unusual features, including his dream of making the car amphibious. Former employees said they took Musk's social posts as orders, but the engineering proved difficult. By 2022, it was clear internally that Cybertruck wouldn't be able to meet all Musk's criteria, so engineers scrapped an early design and started over—developing a smaller, landlocked version of the truck, the people said. After about a year and a half of testing, Tesla delivered the first Cybertrucks to a dozen or so customers in late November 2023. An early version of the truck started at $100,000 and had an estimated range of 318 miles. Two months later, Tesla issued its first recall on the vehicle: a software update that required the company to increase the size of the font on a warning system used across its fleet. It was the first of three recalls that Tesla addressed on the Cybertruck through over-the-air updates to its software. Cybertruck's problems couldn't be fixed by software updates alone. In April 2024, Tesla issued a recall for the accelerator pedal. The company had received a notice from a customer complaining that the accelerator had gotten stuck. Tesla found that the pad attached to the long pedal could dislodge and get stuck in the trim above the pedal, causing the car to accelerate. An internal investigation found the issue was the result of an 'unapproved change," in which Tesla employees used soap as a lubricant to attach the pad, according to the recall notice. Inside Tesla, the accelerator pad had been a known issue starting with the prototype, according to an employee who worked on the part. The manufacturing team also identified the part as problematic, this person said. Tesla also had problems with the Cybertruck's expansive windshield, which measured nearly 6 square feet. Sometimes the heavy glass would break, two employees said. The glass either arrived cracked from the supplier in Mexico or from handling at the Austin, Texas, facility, they said. Some owners took to social media to describe the glass cracking as soon as they drove off the lot, or while they wiped the inside of their windshield. The windshield required a large windshield wiper measuring 50 inches long. In June 2024, Tesla issued a recall on the wipers, whose motors Tesla found had been overstressed by testing. The wiper had been flagged nearly a year before, two people who worked on the Cybertruck said. It was one of the first issues identified on the vehicles, at which point it was classified as a 'gating issue," which meant that it needed to be resolved before production could move forward. Reid Tomasko, a 25-year-old YouTube creator, took his Cybertruck on a cross-country trip, during which it performed perfectly, he said. Then came winter in New Hampshire. He was driving near his home in Lebanon, N.H., in February when a metal panel flew off the side of his truck. In March, Tesla issued a recall affecting most of the Cybertrucks it had produced—more than 46,000. The problem involved adhesive that could become brittle in extreme weather, causing exterior trim panels called cant rails to dislodge. Inspecting his truck, Tomasko said he found loose connections on almost every panel that used the adhesive, including the large pieces of stainless steel over the rear wheels, the front fender and the front doors. 'I was wondering, why are they not recalling the other panels?" Tomasko said. After replacing several panels, Tesla offered to buy back Tomasko's truck for nearly all of the $102,000 that he paid, he said. He accepted. 'I am planning on getting a newer one for cheaper soon," he said. Write to Becky Peterson at
NDTV
2 hours ago
- NDTV
Starlink Plans Yet To Be Out In India, A Look At Pricing In Other Nations
Elon Musk's satellite communication company Starlink has received the licence from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), a key milestone that will take it closer towards launching commercial operations in India. It is the third firm, after Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio Satellite Communications, to have been issued the licence to provide satellite internet services in the country. A fourth applicant, Amazon's Kuiper, is awaiting approval. According to DoT sources, the satellite-based internet service provider owned by billionaire Elon Musk will begin operations in India within 12 months by offering 600 to 700 Gbps, or gigabytes per second, of bandwidth. While the pricing for the low-Earth-orbit satellite internet service is yet to be announced in India, where data prices are currently among the cheapest in the world, former Starlink India Country Director Sanjay Bhargava said in 2022 that it would cost Rs 1.58 lakh per connection for the first year. From the second year, the cost would reduce to Rs 1.15 lakh, he said. Currently, Starlink has its market in over 100 countries, with residential and roaming plans. The residential plan, in most places, is categorised into two - Residential Lite (for low usage, smaller households) and Residential (for bigger households). According to business news website TechCentral, Zambia is one of the cheapest countries for Starlink satellite internet services in the world and the US, most expensive. Here is a look at Starlink's monthly pricing across countries: In Asia, Starlink is mostly available in Mongolia, Japan, Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Jordan, Yemen and Azerbaijan. None of India's neighbours, except Bhutan and Bangladesh, have access to this internet service. In Bhutan, the Residential Lite Plan costs about Rs 3,000 and Standard Residential Plan about Rs 4,200. In Bangladesh, the Residential Lite costs nearly Rs 3,000 and the Residential plan costs Rs 4,000. Malaysia offers the Residential Lite plan for around Rs 2,600 and Residential plan for around Rs 4,600. The internet service is available for nearly Rs 4,000 in Japan and nearly Rs 6,000 in the Philippines. In America, the internet service has been launched in almost every country, except a few places like Bolivia and Venezuela. The Residential Lite costs around Rs 2,500 and the Residential, Rs 4,000 in New York. In Canada, the first one is available for Rs 6,800 and the second, for nearly Rs 9,000. Similarly, Starlink services are available in a majority of European countries, barring Bosnia, Ukraine, and Herzegovina, and Serbia. In France, the Residential Lite costs Rs 2,800 and the Residential plan, nearly Rs 4,000. The United Kingdom currently offers only the Residential plan for approximately Rs 8,700. The Residential Lite and Residential plans are available in Italy for Rs 3,400 and nearly Rs 5,000, respectively. Niger, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique are among the few African nations currently offering Starlink services. The Residential Lite is available for around Rs 4,000, and the Residential for around Rs 6,000 in Ghana. Nearly all of Australia and New Zealand are covered by the internet service provider.
