Govt issues Letter of Intent to Starlink for satellite internet rollout

The government has issued Letter of Intent to Starlink for satcom services, sources said on Wednesday.

Starlink is a satellite internet service developed by SpaceX -- the American aerospace manufacturer and space transportation company founded in 2002 by world's richest man Elon Musk. It provides high-speed, low-latency broadband internet worldwide using satellite technology.

Sources told PTI that the Department of Telecom (DoT) has now issued Letter of Intent to Starlink. Prior to this, the government had issued licences to Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio Satellite Communications.

Unlike conventional satellite services that rely on distant geostationary satellites, Starlink utilises the world's largest low earth orbit or LEO constellation (550 km above earth). This constellation of LEO satellites (7,000 now but eventually set to grow to over 40,000) and its mesh delivers broadband internet capable of supporting streaming, online gaming, and video calls.