Starlink’s Licence to Connect: SpaceX President and Minister Scindia Ignite India’s Digital Dream

Image Source: Business Standard

In a historic move in India's digital future, SpaceX President and COO Gwynne Shotwell met with Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia in New Delhi, just days after Starlink received a highly coveted licence to provide satellite internet services in India. The meeting is the launch of a new era of connectivity, with both leaders exploring possibilities of collaboration to bridge India's digital gap and empower millions of people in the nation.

Key Highlights

Historic Licence Approval: SpaceX's satellite internet division Starlink was granted a Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite (GMPCS) licence by India's Department of Telecommunications, making it the third firm after Reliance Jio, Eutelsat OneWeb, and Reliance Jio to be approved.

Powering Digital India: Union Minister Scindia called the meeting "productive," holding out the promise of harnessing advanced satellite communications to power Digital India and reach more areas.

Shotwell's Optimism: Gwynne Shotwell also welcomed the licence as a "great start to the journey," thanking and looking forward to working on India's connectivity ambitions.

Commercial Launch on the Horizon: Service should come within two months of high-speed, low-latency internet being available—specifically, in rural, remote, and border areas.

Affordable Access: The proposals suggest a hardware kit costing about ₹33,000 and monthly unlimited data subscription of ₹3,000 to ₹4,200 with a one-month free trial for new customers.

Strategic Partnerships: Starlink has formed strategic partnerships with Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel for easy deployment, capitalizing on their massive telecom network for rapid expansion.

Competitive Landscape: Starlink joins a competitive landscape including OneWeb, Jio, and prospective rival Amazon Kuiper, increasing rivalry and debate on the use of spectrum and regulatory fees.

What's Next? With regulatory hurdles breached and high-level support in place, Starlink will revolutionize internet access in India, delivering transformative power to education, commerce, and social inclusion.

Source: Moneycontrol, Teslarati, Financial Express