Elon Musk-led Starlink’s satellite connectivity capabilities in India could potentially deliver a few terabytes per second of data throughput, with significant infrastructure already established. The service could commence immediately after receiving necessary regulatory approvals, according to sources familiar with the matter.
The satellite capacity offered by Starlink is anticipated to be substantially higher, approximately 80-90 times more than competitors Eutelsat OneWeb or Reliance Jio-SES, which offer between 30-50 gigabits per second (Gbps), says an ET report.
The company awaits governmental and regulatory authorisation to begin commercial operations in India’s telecommunications market, the second-largest globally. Industry specialists indicate that once all regulatory approvals are secured, Starlink will be positioned to serve both retail and enterprise customers nationwide with abundant capacity.
Eutelsat-OneWeb and Jio-SES have obtained all necessary regulatory permissions and await spectrum allocation, whereas Starlink continues to seek approval from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe).
Satellite connectivity
The Elon Musk-led company intends to establish three gateways across India – in Mumbai, Pune and Indore – alongside a point of presence in Mumbai to service the Indian market.
Gateways function as intermediaries between satellites and terrestrial communication networks, facilitating data transmission between the two systems. The point of presence, whilst smaller in scale, remains a crucial component of the network infrastructure.
Currently, India’s non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) satellites provide approximately 70 Gbps capacity, whilst geostationary orbit (GSO) satellites offer about 58 Gbps. An unnamed government official told the financial daily, “For growth of satcom in India, there is the requirement to grow satellite bandwidth immensely.”
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Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel have established partnerships with Starlink for retail distribution of its equipment and services, whilst also looking at additional collaborative opportunities.
With approximately 636 low earth orbit satellites, Eutelsat-OneWeb has established gateway facilities in Mehsana, Gujarat and Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu. Jio-SES intends to operate 11 medium earth orbit satellites, with 6 currently in orbit. They plan to establish gateways in Kadapa (Andhra Pradesh) and Nagpur.
The operational requirements of NGSO satellites, including those of Starlink, Eutelsat-OneWeb and Jio-SES, necessitate multiple gateways due to their narrow beam operations and throughput requirements. In contrast, a GSO satellite can provide coverage to an extensive area using a single gateway.
Starlink provides satellite communication services globally using its first-generation satellites numbering approximately 4,400 and second-generation satellites exceeding 2,500 deployments. The American company has informed the government of its intention to expand its second-generation satellite constellation to 30,000 units in the forthcoming years.
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Service capability for India will become operational following regulatory clearances.
Starlink has completed its documentation submission to In-SPACe and anticipates approval shortly. Whilst Starlink has accepted most essential requirements for obtaining a Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite licence from DoT, certain aspects remain unresolved. The company has confirmed its commitment to establish a network control and monitoring centre within India and has agreed to avoid routing data through gateways in countries sharing land borders with India.
According to IN-SPACe projections, India’s space sector could reach $44 billion by 2033, increasing its global market share from 2% to 8%.
