A Comprehensive Guide To Starlink And How It Will Affect India

Elon Musk’s ultimate vision is to colonise Mars over the coming decades but right now on Earth, his ventures are pushing technological boundaries to make our preset future-ready! 

Tesla’s revolutionary grasp over the electric vehicle market has significantly inspired the auto industry whereas its AI humanoid robot – Optimus – will change the concept of household help. SpaceX is making strides in transporting humans and cargo to space whereas Neuralink has successfully demonstrated the ability to combine humans and digital interfaces via complex brain chip implants. 

On the Indian scene though, SpaceX’s Starlink is making waves. After facing a ban owing to regulatory disapproval a few years ago, Elon Musk’s ambitious plan to beam internet across the globe may finally include the Indian subcontinent. Rival broadband firm Reliance Jio tried its best to push for a satellite spectrum auction in a bid to keep Musk’s Starlink away from India but the authorities felt otherwise. 

The support from the Indian government for allocating the satellite broadband spectrum instead of auctioning has opened doors for Starlink in India. 

But why is Starlink such a big deal? Will it affect the way the average Indian consumes the internet? 

That’s what we intend to clarify in this piece. Don on your SpaceX t-shirts, grab a bucket of popcorn and read on. 

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What is Starlink?

Starlink is essentially a broadband service that relies on a constellation of satellites to beam internet signals across the globe. Unlike your local broadband service provider relying on their standard optical cables and mobile networks, Starlink uses a network of satellites in low-Earth orbit to connect with devices across most of the planet’s grid. 

The idea behind Starlink is to provide internet access in remote locations around the world where conventional mobile networks aren't available. With the satellites beaming signals across most of the globe, the subscribers need a mobile antenna and a router to latch onto the network and start accessing internet services. 

Benefits of Starlink

Since Starlink’s constellation of satellites is present in Low Earth Orbit (approximately 550 km from the surface), the service benefits from low latency speeds as compared to the geostationary satellite-based services. Starlink claims that users can expect latency to be as low as 25 ms, which allows activities like video calling and uninterrupted video streaming across land, ocean and even while flying!

With a current constellation of satellites in orbit, Starlink promises download speeds in the range of 25-220 Mbps and upload speeds of 35 Mbps, although most users report consistent downlink speeds of 100 Mbps. 

While the speeds may not beat the mushrooming 5G networks promising over 500 Mbps download speeds, consider it this way – you get fairly usable internet speeds while travelling across the Thar desert, the forests of Jharkhand, the treacherous hilly terrains of the Himalayas and vast ocean of the Bay of Bengal where there’s no mobile data service available.

Whether you seek connectivity for basic needs or for professional reasons, Starlink’s service offers a blanket of useable internet service across the globe. 

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Is Starlink available everywhere on Earth?

Yes!

Starlink’s recent strides in satellite technology development have now allowed SpaceX to place them in orbits covering the polar regions. Starlink’s service has shown promising results in Antarctica and Greenland so far and it is only going to get better. 

How do you set up Starlink?

While commercial plans require skilled technicians to install the kit to offer the best experience, Personal plans require an easy step-by-step process for installation. 

Users need to plug the Starlink receiver kit into a power source and point it towards the sky. The Starlink mobile app eventually guides the users to position it accurately to obtain the fastest speeds. Once the setup is done, subscribers start getting satellite broadband service. 

Those opting for the Starlink Mini can power their kit via power banks or batteries that can output at least 20W of power. 

Starlink subscription plans at a glance

Starlink identifies the various kinds of usage scenarios and hence, offers two broad categories of satellite broadband service – Personal and Business. 

For home users, Starlink offers three tiers of services:

Residential: This is a fixed connection for home users. The USD 349 (approximately INR 30,000) kit comes with a dish antenna and a modem to beam the internet connection across all household devices. You get unlimited data as part of the plan and you need to pay a monthly rental fee of USD 120 (approximately INR 10,000).

Roam: This is a mobile connection suited for those working on the go. Starlink’s website recommends this service for nomads, campers and explorers. Subscribers can opt for the standard plan with 50GB data allowance at USD 50 per month (approximately INR 4,200) or get unlimited data at USD 160 per month (approximately INR 13,400). 

While the standard Starlink kit is available for portable use, subscribers also get the option to consider the Starlink Mini kit for enhanced mobile connectivity an additional USD 599 (approximately INR 50,000). The Starlink Mini offers up to 180Mbps speeds and has lower power supply requirements, allowing it to run on power sources rated at 20W or higher.

Boats: This plan has been solely designed to cater to maritime internet connectivity needs. Boats plans offers 40-220 Mbps download speeds and up to 35 Mbps of upload speeds with 99 ms latency. The Roam Unlimited plan costs USD 165 per month (approximately INR 13,800) and is suitable for coastal areas and inland waterways.

The Mobile Priority 50GB plan is suited fo navigation and weather updates, costing USD 250 per month (approximately INR 21,000) whereas the Mobile Priority 1TB plan is suited for full internet access in oceans, costing USD 1,000 per month (approximately INR 84,000). 

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For businesses and enterprises, Starlink offers multiple tiers of connectivity plans.

Fixed Site: The Fixed Site plan is best suited for businesses in remote locations, with prices varying between USD 140 to USD 500 per month. Starlink promises up to 220 Mbps download and 25 Mbps upload speeds with 25-60 ms latency. 

Land Mobility: This is best suited for rescue operations and mass transport services that need to offer internet access on the go. Prices start from USD 250 per month for 50GB data plan and go up to USD 5,000 per month for unlimited data, with a latency of 99 ms. 

Maritime: The price tier and service perks for maritime are similar to the Land Mobility plans and is best suited for maritime crews on vessels. 

Aviation: For business and commercial operators, Starlink offers Aviation plans with download speeds of up to 220 Mbps and upload speeds of up to 25 Mbps, with latency of 99 ms. The equipment is integrated into airframes and prices are variable for government and commercial operators. Prices for business jet operators start from USD 2,000 per month for 20GB of data and go up to USD 10,000 per month for unlimited data. 

Starlink Direct To Cell

This could pave the way for a revolution in global mobile connectivity. Starlink’s Direct To cell service essentially eliminates the need for a Starlink kit and offers internet signals directly to smartphones. 

This could potentially eliminate network dead zones across the globe! No more struggles to find a cellphone network in remote areas!

The service, however, is yet to reach consumers. Direct To Cell requires existing mobile operators to partner with Starlink’s network in a bid to make the satellites act as mobile towers. No modification needs to be done on the consumer’s end – the signals can be received on any smartphone that works with 4G LTE networks. 

Starlink’s potential launch date in India

Starlink is currently awaiting regulatory approvals by the Indian authorities. Based on the current scenario, it seems that Elon Musk’s ambitious satellite broadband service could find its footing by the end of 2025 at the earliest. 

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