Elon Musk-owned Starlink has begun setting up its ground network in India. The company is in advanced discussions with Sify Technologies, STT, Equinix, and CtrlS Datacenters. Internet exchanges DE-CIX and Extreme, fibre provider Microscan, and telecom majors Airtel, Reliance Jio, and Tata Communications are also on the list.

Starlink has obtained required approvals from Indian authorities. It has also been allotted trial bandwidth. Letters of intent to partners are expected this month. The plan includes 17 ground stations across the country. Each will link Starlink’s low-earth orbit satellites with fibre and data networks, ensuring global signals meet local infrastructure.

Competition in Satellite Broadband

India’s satcom race is heating up. Bharti-backed Eutelsat OneWeb and Reliance Jio-SES are already in play. Amazon’s Kuiper and Apple’s partner Globalstar are waiting in the wings. With the domestic space economy projected to hit $44 billion by 2033, the contest is not for presence alone but for long-term dominance.

Investment and Cost Estimates

Analysts estimate initial capital expenditure at ₹500 crore. A study by JM Financial suggests full pan-India coverage will demand ₹8,000 crore in capital, plus an annual operating outlay of ₹350 crore. Customer terminals, currently priced at $400, could fall by half if produced locally. Cost will shape adoption as much as technology.

Early Partnerships for Scale

DE-CIX India confirmed a tie-up with Starlink last week. The integration will support low-latency uses such as streaming, video conferencing, and online gaming. Extreme IXP also confirmed Starlink’s connection to its Mumbai port. The agreements mark early steps to ensure service quality and reliability.

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Compliance and Local Rules

The government has granted Starlink a unified licence. As per the license, local routing of all downlink traffic, domestic storage of data, and setting up earth station should gateway through India. Starlink will also use Aadhaar-based verification for subscribers. The company currently has capacity to onboard 20 lakh customers.

Employment and Industry Impact

The rollout is expected to create abundance of jobs in verticals like installation, maintenance, and user terminal operations. It is also expected to widen the competitive field, pushing rivals to invest faster. For India, the arrival of Starlink may just mark more the next phase in the country’s digital infrastructure race.