StarLink | Elon Musk Elon Musk's Space X likely to get in talks with Reliance Jio, Vodafone Idea, other telcos for Satcom collaboration: Report
Elon Musk's SpaceX is expected to get in talks with Indian telecom service providers like Reliance Jio, Vodafone Idea, BharatNet and Railtel for possible collaborations to offer satellite communications, media reports said.
He said that there must be an Indian constellation of satellites which will take time and capital.
According to ET Telecom, Starlink head for India, Sanjay Bhargava, telecom companies will be offered satellite communication or broadband from space in remote areas.
He pointed out that OneWeb which is backed by Bharti Global and the UK government is not an Indian constellation.
SpaceX-backed Starlink has already registered a subsidiary in India which will allow it to start applying for licenses.
Bhargava also refuted allegations that stated that Starlink offered pre-orders which were illegal.
“Someone says that SpaceX is running a Ponzi scheme...but why would SpaceX, which is such a large company, run a scheme for such a small amount. There are kinds of rubbish. Any person who is thinking in the national interest will not try to stop Starlink by creating useless speculation,” the publication quoted Bhargava as saying.
Once Starlink gets permission, it will provide a hundred devices to schools in Delhi and nearby rural districts. This will be followed by 12 rural districts.
According to the report, the company aims to have around 2 lakh Starlink devices in India by December 2022, 80 per cent of which will be in rural districts.
The company will then apply for a restricted commercial license in India.
Bhargava noted that Starlink will provide broadband connections in hard-to-reach areas, and in areas where there is negligible internet access.
The executive also said that Starlink would provide the service at subsidised rates in India. “It is extremely expensive. If the cost was passed on, it would be unaffordable. Starlink is subsidising the cost a lot already and benefits must outstrip cost,” the executive said.
Though the company is facing regulatory hurdles, Starlink’s website for pre-orders, is available at a refundable deposit of $99, for Indian users.
According to some reports the broadband services will start in India next year after the company gets the required licenses for the same.
Over 5000 pre-orders for devices have been booked in India, media reports said.
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