Why Elon Musk's Starlink Satcom Connections Are Limited To 20 Lakh in India?

Tech mogul Elon Musk's Starlink, satellite communications provider, will only be allowed to provide 20 lakh connections in India, said Union Minister Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani on Monday, July 28.

This allows to reduce the threat that international telecommunications provider Starlink might pose to domestic telecom operators like BSNL.

Further, the Minister of State (MoS) for Telecom informed that the wholly owned subsidiary of SpaceX, will be able to offer internet speed upto 200 Mbps, which the government believes will have no affect on other telecom operators.

“Starlink can have only 20 lakh customers in India and offer up to 200 Mbps speed. That won't affect telecom services,” said Minister of State (MoS) for Rural Development and Communications, Chandra S Pemmasani, as per media reports.  

The company's satellite internet services are expected to target customers in the rural and remote areas of India, which is also a big market for the state-owned telecom service provider BSNL.

Further, MoS Pemmasani said that the cost for the satellitee communications services will be too high, while mentioning that customers might have to pay as much as Rs 3000 per month.

He also said that BSNL's 4G network rollout is completed, and the government-owned telecom provider does not plan to increase its network tariffs at this time.

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What Should You Know About Starlink?

According to the company's official site, the eStarlink network is the world's first and largest satellite internet provider. The technology uses Earth's lower orbit to deliver broadband (Wi-Fi) internet to its users.

People can use this broadband network to support streaming, online gaming, and video calling by accessing the satellite network through their home setup or portable Starlink equipment.

Earlier this month, the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) had given regulatory clearance to Starlink to launch its satellite-based internet services in India.