Elon Musk's Starlink gets license nod in India as Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Jio, Sunil Mittal's Airtel collaborate with SpaceX for internet services: Check price, speed and other details

Starlink, the satellite internet service by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, has officially received approval to operate in India. This major announcement was confirmed by Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on social media platform X (formerly Twitter). The green signal allows Starlink to enter India's highly competitive telecom market and provide satellite-based internet services across the country.

Scindia shared that he had a “productive meeting” with SpaceX President and COO Gwynne Shotwell. Their conversation focused on how Starlink’s satellite technology could support the Digital India mission and bring high-speed internet to even the most remote parts of the country. Shotwell welcomed the move, calling it “a great start to the journey.”

This comes after Starlink was granted the Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite (GMPCS) license from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT). Starlink now becomes the third company to get this license in India, joining Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio Satellite Communications. Amazon’s Project Kuiper is also planning to enter the Indian market, but is still awaiting final approvals.

Starlink has already started building strong partnerships in India. Telecom giants Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel have reportedly joined hands with Starlink to support distribution and customer service. These companies hold more than 70% of the telecom market in India, which gives Starlink a strong network for reaching customers—especially in rural and hard-to-reach areas.

There is still no official announcement about pricing, but reports suggest Starlink could offer unlimited data plans at promotional prices below $10 (around Rs 840) per month. Experts believe this low-cost strategy is meant to attract millions of users in the coming years, despite the high cost of licenses and satellite spectrum.

However, one major challenge for Starlink in India is the cost of its hardware. Globally, Starlink's kits cost between $250 to $380 (Rs 21,300 to Rs 32,400), which is much more expensive than most Indian broadband setups. Indian broadband plans not only offer high speeds of up to 1 Gbps but also come with low-cost equipment and free OTT app bundles.

Still, Starlink’s entry promises to bring internet access to millions who currently have limited or no connectivity, especially in rural and remote areas.