Starlink India Launch Imminent—Here’s What It May Cost You Per Month

Elon Musk’s Starlink has reportedly received the government’s nod to launch satellite communication services in India after months of discussions and unprecedented joint ventures with Reliance Jio and Airtel — India’s largest and second-largest telecom companies. Starlink will join the likes of Eutelsat’s OneWeb and SES to offer satellite data and connectivity services in India, which are yet to begin commercially.

Starlink’s services will be available in India through Airtel and Reliance Jio’s existing offline network. That means the pricing of its internet plans will not be decided only by SpaceX—Reliance Jio and Airtel are expected to have a say. According to a report, the monthly subscription could start at around ₹800 for the tier with up to 700Mbps download.

How much will Starlink cost in India?

Starlink’s initial offerings in India could offer up to 700Mbps internet speeds, priced between ₹840 and ₹7,000. Previous reports suggested that the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has proposed a surcharge of about ₹500 per urban customer. The prices may also be impacted by adjusted gross revenue, a license fee of 8 per cent, and minimum spectrum charges of ₹3,500 per block. Factoring in all those costs could end up in a total monthly subscription cost of around ₹1,000.

The hardware kit will be charged separately, similar to those in fixed broadband connections. In India, it could reportedly be available between $349 and $599. Those price points translate to roughly ₹30,000-51,000. But this may not be passed down directly to customers, but in parts, since a single kit serves multiple connections.

For reference, Starlink is available at around $35 per month in Nigeria, while the US cost of the setup is between $80 and $120 per month. Some governments have subsidised Starlink’s services to boost adoption in remote regions. Whether the Indian government will provide Starlink users with sops is unclear.

Read more: iPhone Not Responding? How to Force Restart or Reset It