Airtel & Jio Starlink Deal: India’s leading telecom giants Airtel & Jio introduce their plan to bring Starlink internet services of Elon Musk’s Sattelite to India in a bid to provide better connectivity to their customers. Meanwhile, Airtel became the first telecom operator in India to collaborate with Elon Musk’s SpaceX to bring Starlink satellite internet services.
Then Jio on Wednesday announced his deals with SpaceX, Elon Musk’s Sattelite to bring the services to remote parts of the country. However, company press releases confirm the development, pending Starlink’s approval from the Indian government.
Reliance Jio & Airtel Starlink Partnership
This move from both the telecom providers aims to bring high-speed internet services to enterprises, small and medium businesses and communities across India.
Once the TRAI approvals are in place, customers will be eligible to buy Starlink equipment from both Jio & Airtel stores. Jio & Airtel haven’t introduced the offering about their plans with Starlink yet.
However, they confirmed that their retail stores will sell Starlink equipment and provide customer support depending on Starlink’s approval from the Indian government.
To further strengthen India’s digital ecosystem, both companies will explore additional areas of collaboration, leveraging their respective infrastructure including Starlink’s extensive low-Earth Orbit satellite network.
Both the telecom giants were anticipated to have setup almost 7000 active satellites, delivering low latency broadband services to some of the most remote regions worldwide.
What is the Price of Starlink Internet in India?
Starlink offers three types of internet packs in the US, starting at $110, (over Rs.9,500 in India) per month for home use with a single-time charge for the hardware at $599 (over 50,000 in India).
The packages can come at $500 per month equals Rs.43,000 in India for businesses. However, it is anticipated that the costs will be adjusted to the Indian local market.
Where is Starlink Available?
Starlink internet services are available in 36 countries across the world with limited coverage areas. While the company have extended its services to the entire continental use at the end of 2023.
However, countries like Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka are waiting for Starlink internet services. The company has no plans to offer services in some countries like Russia, China, Cuba, and North Korea.
What is Starlink?
Starlink is a project of Elon Musk’s company SpaceX, that aims to provide internet services to remote areas of the world where traditional or optical fiber and cables do not reach.
Meanwhile, since 2022 his project has waited for commercial approval in India, but there is no clear timeline for the decision. The delay is because of the national security concerns.
How Does Starlink Work?
Starlink works and relies on a network of low-orbit satellites to transmit signals to remote areas aims to create a low-latency internet network across the globe.
According to Ookla, Starlink recorded one of the fastest median download speeds in Lithuania reaching 160 Mbps in 2022. According to media reports, it reaches up to 91 Mbps in the US, while Canada recorded 97 Mbps, Australia 124 Mbps, and Mexico 105.91 Mbps, making it the fastest satellite internet provider in North America.
How to Connect With Starlink?
When users subscribe or buy Starlink, they receive a Starlink kit containing a satellite dish, a dish mount, and a Wi-Fi router-based unit along with a power cable for the base unit and a 75-foot cable to connect the dish to the router.
To access Starlink internet services the customers need to set up satellite dishes to capture the signal and transmit bandwidth to the router.
Starlink gives multiple options for the users to mount the dishes at their own selected place such as installation on rooftops, yards, or on exterior walls. Additionally, the Starlink app is available on both Android and iOS.
