Satellite Internet Elon Musk, Starlink, ElonMusk
Synopsis
Satellite
Internet: India is getting ready for fast internet from space! TRAI is making
rules so Starlink can start by June 2025. Elon Musk wants to bring Starlink and
Tesla cars to India. Pretty much a lot of private internet service provider
companies would get competition and pressure to provide their version of
satellite-based high-speed internet service, on SpaceX’s Starlink mainstream.
Key
Highlights:
- India is preparing for satellite internet services
with TRAI working on a rollout framework.
- Starlink
is expected to launch by June 2025, competing with Reliance Jio and Bharti
Airtel.
- Tesla’s
Plans for India - India’s 110% import tax has delayed Tesla’s entry.
- A
new policy lowers tariffs to 15% for companies investing $500M in local
factories.
- Tesla
has started hiring and leased its first showroom in Mumbai.
- Starlink
is complying with Indian security regulations to get its operating
license.
- The
government mandates local data storage and national security access.
- Starlink seeks some flexibility
but is under review by Indian authorities.
Elon
Musk’s Starlink Internet in India
India is
getting ready to launch satellite internet services as the Telecom Regulatory
Authority of India (TRAI) prepares a framework for its rollout. If everything
goes as planned, the Starlink services, no doubt, start by June 2025. This will
bring intense competition between Starlink, Reliance Jio, and Bharti Airtel
over spectrum allocation and pricing.
Musk’s
Growing Interest in India
Elon Musk
has a global reach, but India is one market he has not fully entered yet.
Despite his growing international business and his influence in the U.S. government,
his special debut in Satellite Internet to India is getting materialized sooner
than expected. The Tech giant is interested in launching both Starlink
satellite internet and Tesla electric cars in India.
Musk had a
special meeting in Washington, on Satellite Agenda with Prime
Minister Narendra Modi on his US trip. They talked about working together
on new ideas, space travel, smart computers, and ways to help the Earth.
Read More Updates: How to Afford Starlink in India? Unlimited Data Cost Rs.3,000/Month, Receiver Kit Rs.33K - Spl Offer Any?
Starlink Satellite Overview
Starlink is
a satellite broadband internet system being implemented worldwide by Elon
Musk's SpaceX company. The goal is to provide direct internet access via
satellites to isolated, rural, underdeveloped, mountainous, and oceanic areas.
Starlink service is currently available in more than 100 countries. It has
started service in India's neighboring country of Bhutan. The process is in the
final stages in Bangladesh and Myanmar. The government has not permitted it in
India.
Will
Starlink, which has signed a satellite internet distribution agreement with two
of the country's leading telecom companies in a matter of hours, have an easy
time in India? Even though the two opposing companies have come together as
partners, things may not be so easy for Starlink in India. It remains to be
seen whether the high cost of Starlink satellite internet will be acceptable to
Indians who are looking for cheap prices for everything. Or will it have to
capture the market by giving free data, like Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Jio did
in the telecom sector.
Communication
is through satellites launched in the closest orbit to Earth. So far, Elon
Musk's SpaceX has installed 7,000 satellites for this purpose. Musk says that
the network will be upgraded with new technology in five years. Since it is
closer to Earth, the signals will be faster, more reliable, and more accurate.
A dish antenna and router are required to receive the signals. This will allow
direct communication with the nearest satellite. It requires less energy to
operate. Currently, the design is designed to be used in a fixed location. If
some additional components are added, it can be used in vehicles, boats, and
airplanes. This will be the most suitable system for video conferencing and
other purposes.
Service
in India
There are
still obstacles. The government has not given permission for satellite
internet. SpaceX has only signed distribution agreements with Indian companies.
They can only distribute if the government permits them to provide Starlink
service. Reports say that the distribution agreements with Airtel and Jio are
nothing new. Starlink service is provided by partnering with major mobile
service companies worldwide.
Challenges
The main challenge is the high operating cost. In isolated locations, a dish antenna and a router are required to communicate with the satellite. The price starts from $300. That is, it comes to around Rs 26,000. Although the cost will come down as the number of connections increases, it will affect operational efficiency. In addition, there will be a monthly fee. In Bhutan, the fee ranges from Rs 3,000 to Rs 4,200. Broadband service is currently available in the country at much lower rates. According to the Ericsson Mobility report, the average monthly revenue of telecom companies in India from a customer is only Rs 172.57. Indians use up to 32 GB of data on average. The company has not made an official announcement regarding the rates and services in India.
How does
billionaire Mukesh Ambani's telecom venture Jio benefit from Elon Musk's
Starlink Internet?
This
question cannot be predictably answered right now. However, it can be simply
said that Jio is unlikely to directly benefit from Elon Musk’s Starlink
internet.
Starlink
is more of a competitor to Jio than a partner. Starlink Internet could compete
with Jio’s fiber and broadband services, especially in remote and rural areas.
Because laying cables is tough in remote areas.
No doubt,
Starlink has its challenges such as high costs, technical hurdles, and
political curbs in India.
Satellite
internet needs powerful ground equipment, which may not be affordable for many
in rural India. On the other hand, building enough ground stations to support
large numbers of users is expensive.
For now,
Jio’s focus on building affordable broadband and mobile networks in India gives
it an advantage.
Let us hope that Jio will keep creating jobs and investing heavily within the country, which also helps the local economy. So, while Starlink might bring some competition, it is unlikely to replace or seriously disrupt Jio’s internet business anytime soon.
Tesla’s
Plans for India
So far,
India’s high import tariffs on electric vehicles (110%) have kept Tesla from
entering the market. But Musk has promised that Tesla will come to India “as
soon as humanly possible.” After meeting with Modi, he seems eager to make it
happen.
Tesla has
already started hiring in Mumbai and Delhi and signed a lease for its first
showroom in Mumbai. The Indian government has also introduced a new scheme that
reduces import tariffs to 15% if companies invest at least $500 million in
setting up a local factory. This offer is only for the first 8,000 cars, but
Tesla might try to change that.
If Tesla
builds a factory in India, it will help the economy by creating jobs and
bringing in money from other countries. But no one knows for sure if Musk will
go through with it.
Last year,
he canceled a planned India visit at the last minute and instead went to China,
where he secured a major business deal.
Starlink
Gets Closer to Indian Market
Musk’s
satellite internet company, Starlink, is now one step closer to launching in
India. The company has agreed to follow key security rules set by the Indian
government to obtain its operating license.
Starlink
Accepts India’s Security Rules
To operate
in India, Starlink must follow strict security and data storage regulations.
One major requirement is that all user data must be stored within India.
Additionally, Starlink must allow intelligence agencies to access its network
when required for national security.
Starlink has
asked for some flexibility on certain conditions, which it plans to fulfill
gradually after getting its license. The Ministry of Home Affairs and other
security agencies are currently reviewing its application.
No
Special Treatment for Foreign Companies
The Indian
government has made it clear that no special exceptions will be given to
foreign companies like Starlink or Amazon’s Kuiper. Meanwhile, TRAI is
finalizing how satellite spectrum will be allocated and priced. Industry
experts now forecast that satellite internet will be all set in India by the
end of 2025.
What is
TRAI's Role in It?
TRAI has a
new idea! They want to combine two old licenses, GMPCS and VSAT, into one new
license called "Satellite-based Telecommunication Service
Authorization." This will help make things simpler.
Also, the
government (DoT) is making new rules for phone and internet services.
Big telecom
companies like Reliance Jio want the government to sell space signals
(spectrum) through an auction. They worry that satellite internet, like
Starlink, might take their customers in cities and create unfair competition.
However, the
Indian government prefers an administrative allocation method, citing technical
reasons unique to satellite communications.
Elon
Musk's Starlink vs. Mukesh Ambani's Jio
As for now for
India, the Jio of Mukesh Ambani is the biggest internet provider, with more
than 14 million subscribers using its broadband and also about 500 million
using mobile internet. Coming second, Airtel also has nearly 300 million users.
But now, Jio
and Airtel are worried! They have spent over $20 billion to buy network space,
but Elon Musk's Starlink could take away their customers. Why? Because Starlink
uses satellites to provide the internet, which means people can get fast
internet even in remote places!
Starlink’s
Pricing vs. Indian Broadband
Satellite
internet is significantly more expensive than regular broadband in India.
Here’s a price comparison:
- Starlink Monthly Plan: $10 - $500 (Rs. 800 - Rs.
41,000)
- Indian
Broadband Plans: $5 - $7 (Rs. 400 - Rs. 600) per month
- Starlink One-time Hardware Cost:
$250 - $380 (Rs. 20,000 - Rs. 31,000)
Right now,
Starlink is not a big problem for Jio and Airtel. Most of their money comes
from mobile networks, not home internet. Also, Starlink’s internet is slower
and has limits on how much data people can use, while Jio and Airtel give
unlimited data at faster speeds. If Starlink wants to do well in India, it
needs to make its prices much cheaper.
Amazon’s
Kuiper is even slower. It has not asked for permission to work in India yet
because it hasn’t launched its satellites.
Still,
experts think that in the future, both Starlink and Kuiper can help bring the
internet to villages and faraway places where normal internet does not work.
With
Starlink agreeing to India’s security and data rules, satellite internet
services are opening at India's Doorstep. However, pricing and regulatory
challenges still need to be resolved. As the government finalizes its policies,
competition between Starlink, Kuiper, and Indian telecom providers will
determine the future of internet access in India.
Who are
the most likely to benefit from the launch of SpaceX's Starlink?
Pretty much
a lot of private internet/network service provider companies would get
competition and pressure to provide their version of satellite-based high-speed
internet service, on SpaceX’s Starlink mainstream. They won’t be out of
business necessarily any time soon though.
But if
SpaceX gets serious about providing Space Communication Technologies to
Federal/DoD entities as well, a lot of federal research labs and DoD
contractors would get hurt and lose their long-term SATCOM projects. Because
SpaceX is more likely would provide faster, cheaper, and more efficient
communication technologies to the military.
But SpaceX
mostly might stay out of that rat race to serve the military because there are
way too many defense labs, contractors, subcontractors, etc., who have their
interest and would be a collective barrier. They will all try to keep/win their
bid. It would become a political war and not worth it for SpaceX in the long
run.
In DoD/Government’s eyes, SpaceX could be a valuable candidate to bring faster wireless SATCOM communication services to the warfighters, whether SpaceX serves the purpose or not is a whole different aspect.
Will Musk's surgical strike on Jio and Airtel, Indian Starlink succeed?
It has been five years since Starlink, which is capable of providing high-speed internet directly from satellites even in places where cable broadband or even a 2G connection could not be dreamed of, arrived at the country's doorstep. It has been a long time since the stage was set for opening India's skies to Starlink.
As the complaints and controversies related to the satellite internet sector continue, the twist has taken place in the past few weeks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the US and discussions with Elon Musk, the owner of Starlink and Tesla. Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio, who complained that the central government's move to give satellite spectrum without even an auction was for Starlink, have signed agreements with Starlink.
Airtel with OneWeb and Jio with Space Fiber are in the satellite internet sector. Yet, within 24 hours, they forgot all the troubles and joined hands. The fact that Jio and Airtel, which control nearly 70 percent of the country's broadband internet sector and have made great strides in satellite internet trials and approvals, have made such a big splash has become a major public debate.
Currently, internet data reaches our phones or computers through cables, mobile phone networks, or through some means such as Wi-Fi. Our experience is that only when all these basic facilities are in place can we receive internet data without any interruption.
However, satellite broadband provides high-speed internet directly from artificial satellites without the help of any "middlemen". It would be clearer if we say that it is like providing television channels through DTH. If you have a kit consisting of a small dish antenna and a receiver, you can get the net anywhere on Earth. As technology improves, sometimes even that is not needed. The same in the snowy mountains of the Himalayas and the Thar Desert.
Starlink provides internet to Earth from a group of satellites (Satellite Constellation) orbiting above 550 km. All that is needed to receive data signals from Starlink satellites is a 50 cm long dish antenna and a smaller Wi-Fi router. In the case of Starlink, only equipment that is not even the size of a DTH system is needed.
Starlink dish antennas on the ground will establish communication links with suitable satellites. At regular intervals, they will search for the most suitable satellite in this network. Thus, internet connectivity will be ensured from the fastest, lowest latency satellite. Starlink promises speeds of at least 100 megabytes per second. Once this technology becomes commonplace, high-speed internet will be available even on fast-moving planes and ships. SpaceX has announced that Starlink currently has more than 7,000 satellites and that it will reach 42,000 in the near future.
Starlink vs Fiber and Wireless: Which Internet is Best for India
- Starlink
Satellite Internet: Reaching Far Places
- Starlink
sends internet from satellites in the sky. It helps people in villages and
mountains where other internet can't reach.
- Speed:
Slow (25-150 Mbps)
- Weather
Impact: Rain or clouds can make it stop working sometimes
- Places:
Great for villages and faraway places
- Price:
Very costly! Plus, you need to buy a big dish
- Fiber
Broadband: Super Fast and Strong
- Fiber
uses special cables under the ground. It is fast and steady.
- Speed:
Very fast (250 Mbps to 1 Gbps)
- Weather
Issues: Almost none, works even when it rains
- Places:
Only in cities or towns with fiber cables
- Price:
Cheaper than Starlink, and setup is mostly free
- Wireless
Broadband: Easy and Cheap
- Wireless
comes from towers, like your phone's internet (4G/5G).
- Speed:
Changes with 4G or 5G
- Weather
Issues: Works in rain, but towers far away can make it slow
- Places:
Where towers are near
- Price:
Cheapest! Just use a SIM card.
