Satellite internet: Opportunities and challenges in Starlink's India outing

Despite the promise of wide coverage, there is the issue of pricing. Airtel and Jio could help there

Soon, Indians will enjoy satellite internet services extending broadband internet coverage across many underserved regions. Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel have agreements with Belgium’s SES and the French Eutelsat OneWeb, respectively, to launch satellite internet services.

 

Both Jio and Airtel also have agreements with Starlink, which is the largest global provider of satellite internet. Vodafone Idea, too, is in talks with Starlink. So, Starlink, which is the satellite arm of SpaceX, may soon be in India in partnerships with three private operators.

 

Some 670 million Indians live in the Himalayan belt, the Ghats, the Northeast, on islands, and in heavily