How does Starlink work?
Elon Musk's company SpaceX's satellite internet service Starlink is spreading rapidly worldwide.
Starlink's possible plans and speed in India
Starlink service in India is currently awaiting government approval. However, if it is approved, it can bring internet revolution in the rural and remote areas of the country. Starlink has recently launched its services in Bhutan, which gives us an idea of what its possible plans in India can be. Starlink is available in Bhutan with two major schemes, an ₹ 3,001 per month plan that gives speed of 23 Mbps to 100 Mbps and the other is a plan of ₹ 4,201 per month that gives speed between 25 Mbps to 110 Mbps. Starlink schemes in India may be slightly higher as foreign digital services in India are taxed at a high rate of 30%. Due to this, Indian users may have to spend ₹ 3,500 to ₹ 4,500 per month for Starlink.
Will Starlinks be faster than fiber broadband in India?
Starlink satellites are close to the Earth, so its internet speed is quite good. Its delay (ie time in the movement of data) is only 25–50 milliseconds, while traditional satellite internet delay is more than 600 milliseconds. The advantage of this is that services like online gaming, video calling and HD streaming can run without any hindrance. However, fiber broadband services such as Geofiber and Airtel Exostream are faster and inexpensive in cities. Therefore, Starlink can be more beneficial for those villages and remote areas where the fiber internet has not yet reached. If it is approved in India, it can bring a big change in areas cut from the Internet.
Starlink challenges and opportunities in India
Starlink's success in India will depend on many things. The most important thing is that it should be approved by the government and make the right policies. Apart from this, if its plans become very expensive then very few people will be able to use it. But if SpaceX brings cheap plans for Indian customers, it can lead to a big change in transporting internet to villages and remote areas. There are other satellite internet companies like OneWeb and Jio-SES in India, so Starlink will have to make its strategy very carefully. If everything is fine and the necessary approvals are found, then Starlink can provide new internet facility to millions of Indians in the coming time.