Elon Musk’s Starlink to Launch in India With Plans Priced Under Rs. 850 Per Month: Report

Starlink is said to be gearing up to introduce its satellite communication services in India after clearing most of the regulatory hurdles. With the launch allegedly getting closer, a report suggests that its plans could be priced as low as $10 (roughly Rs. 850) per month. Under the promotional schemes which are expected to be initially available, consumers could reportedly be offered unlimited data plans. With this, the Elon Musk-backed company aims to rapidly grow its user base to 10 million in order to offset high spectrum costs owing to volume benefits.

Starlink Plans in India

Earlier this month, Starlink received a nod from the government in the form of a Letter of Intent from the Department of Telecommunication (DoT), granting it permission to kickstart satellite communication services in india. According to an Economic Times report, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is said to have recommended an additional Rs. 500 per month as a per urban user charge, potentially making satellite-based internet services more expensive than wired and wireless broadband connections.

This is reportedly in addition to payment of 4 percent of total adjusted gross revenue (AGR) with a minimum annual charge of Rs. 3,500 per spectrum block, along with an 8 percent licensing fee for offering commercial services in India. However, these recommendations are still pending approval from the government.

But despite paying high license fee and spectrum charges, Starlink, along with other sat-com companies, are expected to introduce their offerings at a relatively low price point to amortise their upfront capex and other fixed costs. The SpaceX-owned company's plans are reported to be priced at under Rs. 850 per month, along with bundling unlimited data as part of the promotional offers.

If this turns out to be accurate, it would make Starlink's India plan one of the cheapest in the world.

What is Starlink and How Much Does It Cost?

Starlink is a satellite internet service developed by billionaire Elon Musk's private space company SpaceX. It provides consumers with high-speed, low-latency broadband internet even in remote areas using satellite technology. The company uses the world's largest network of low Earth orbit or LEO constellation of satellites, located 550km above Earth.

In the US, Starlink's satellite-based internet services are priced at $80 (roughly Rs. 6,800) per month for the Residential Lite plan which offers unlimited but deprioritised data. Consumers also need to purchase an additional Starlink standard kit which has a one time $349 (roughly Rs. 29,700) charge.

Meanwhile, the Elon Musk-owned company also offers Roam plans that are meant for consumers who always stay on the go. Prices start at $50 (roughly Rs. 4,200) for the Roam 50 plan which bundles 50GB of data. Opting for Roam plans incurs an additional charge of $299 (roughly Rs. 25,400) for the Starlink Mini Kit.