Starlink, SpaceX’s satellite internet service, is gearing up for entry into India through partnerships with Reliance Jio and Airtel.
Elon Musk’s Starlink is set to enter the Indian market through key partnerships with telecom giants Airtel and Reliance Jio.
Reliance Jio announced on Wednesday that it has partnered with SpaceX to bring Starlink’s broadband services to its customers in India. However, the deal hinges on SpaceX securing the necessary approvals to operate Starlink in the country.
Reliance Jio announced that it will not only offer Starlink equipment through its retail outlets but also set up a system for customer service, installation, and activation.
The announcement comes just a day after Bharti Airtel revealed a similar partnership with SpaceX, making it the first official agreement for Starlink in India.
Despite being available in over 100 countries, Starlink has faced regulatory hurdles in India for years. However, with these partnerships in the pipeline, the satellite internet service is now closer to entering one of the world’s largest internet markets.
What is Starlink?
Starlink is the world’s first and largest satellite constellation, operating in low Earth orbit (LEO) to provide high-speed, low-latency broadband internet globally. It achieves this by using advanced satellites and user hardware, backed by SpaceX’s expertise in spacecraft and orbital operations.
What Makes Starlink Faster?
Traditional satellite internet relies on single geostationary satellites positioned 35,786 km above Earth, leading to high latency—the delay in data transmission between the user and the satellite. This makes activities like streaming, online gaming, and video calls difficult.
Starlink, however, operates at a much lower altitude, significantly reducing latency and enabling a faster, more responsive internet experience.
Starlink’s satellites orbit much closer to Earth, at approximately 550 km, covering nearly the entire globe. This significantly reduces latency to around 25 milliseconds, compared to 600+ milliseconds for traditional geostationary satellites.
Starlink Internet Speeds
Starlink, known for its high-speed satellite internet, offers download speeds ranging from 25 to 220 Mbps, with most users experiencing speeds above 100 Mbps. Upload speeds typically fall between 5 and 20 Mbps.
However, actual performance varies based on location, time of day, and network congestion. Speeds may be lower during peak usage times, and priority is given based on the user’s service plan. Uninterrupted service is not guaranteed as performance depends on Starlink’s network management.
