According to a press report by the India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF), the number of active internet users in India was 886 million in 2024. In 2025, the number will surpass 900 million including a significant portion of women users and users from rural areas. Starlink’s Satelite Internet has become a highly discussed topic on the internet as it has brought a revolution in more than 100 countries till now by promoting high-speed internet facilities in rural and remote areas where access to fibre-based internet is mostly impossible. On March 11, 2025, India’s largest telecommunication brand Bharti Airtel announced on their website that they are going to collaborate with Starlink to bring the satellite internet to India for the convenience of people living in unprivileged and underprivileged areas. They claimed:
“Airtel and SpaceX will explore offering Starlink equipment in Airtel’s retail stores, Starlink services via Airtel to business customers, opportunities to connect communities, schools, and health centers, among many others, in even the most rural parts of India.
Presently Airtel offers both wireless and optical-fibre-based internet services. The collaboration with Starlink will enhance their wireless connectivity and more stable internet services with a lower latency rate. On the other hand, Starlink will get the opportunity to utilise Airtel’s ground network infrastructure to take hold of one of the largest internet users’ markets in India.
The Internet has become a part and parcel of our daily lives. We can hardly think of a day without internet connectivity nowadays. Most of the people in India depend on mobile service providers for internet services to perform their daily activities like browsing the web, using social media, streaming videos, watching OTT content etc. But the internet provided by mobile operators has a few drawbacks like higher latency, slow speed, poor coverage in remote areas etc. Broadband internet based on optical fibre has fixed the issues of speed and stability. Many broadband services like Airtel Extreme, BSNL Optical Fibre, Jio Fibre, RailWire etc provide uninterrupted internet services in city and urban areas. However, people in rural and remote areas are still deprived of high-speed internet.
The introduction of Starlink Satelite Internet Service by Elon Musk’s SpaceX can be a game changer in India because it is convenient to use for the people of rural and remote landscapes. Unlike broadband internet services, this wireless internet service can be availed only by installing s Starlink dish and a simple router anywhere. As the number of internet users is rapidly growing in India, Starlink has huge potential to control the Indian market shortly.
Why could Starlink’s Internet Service be a game changer in India?
Wireless Connectivity: Starlink’s satellite internet connection doesn't require a wire connection like broadband internet based on optical fibre. Major broadband service providers in India mostly offer their services in city and urban areas. Hence, accessing internet in the remote hill areas, villages, and places having lower population density and poor communication is a challenging task. Tourists and researchers mainly face issues when they visit these remote areas and need good connectivity. The satellite-based internet service by SpaceX could be a game changer in this scenario. People need just a Starlink dish and a router. These two simple devices connect the users to the satellites orbiting Earth directly from anywhere on this planet.
Speed: Optical fibre-based broadband internet usually offers lower latency (within 50s) ensuring stable connectivity for internet browsing, video calling, live streaming and playing HD games. On the other hand, speed and stability are major issues for the internet connection provided by wireless service providers. Starlink has fixed this issue. The internet services provided by Starlink have a proven record of lower latency (25-50 ms), which is far better than mobile phone internet and even competitive with the speed of optical fibre-based broadband internet.
Price: Though Starlink is yet to launch its satellite internet service in India, it is very hard to speculate the price of their plans if they succeed in launching their project. As per the plans available in Bhutan, a standard home plan of Starlink service costs between 3k-4k INR. However, it is quite expensive for Indian users because the broadband service providers offer services in much lower price tags. We hope that Starlink will consider the huge capacity and extreme potential of the market and reduce the price when they launch their project in India.
Starlink has opened up its services to the people of many of India’s neighbouring countries like Bhutan, Myanmar, Bangladesh etc. Millions of internet users in India are eagerly waiting for Starlink’s services to be launched here with convenient plans and facilities. Due to some regulatory and security issues, Starlink is still unavailable to millions of Indian users. We hope that India will welcome this revolutionary service very soon for the convenience of rural internet users.