In surprise announcements, Airtel first, followed by Jio have signed deals with Elon Musk’s Starlink for high speed internet in India.
Starlink’s low orbit satellite based technology provides direct internet access from space, bypassing the need for extensive ground infrastructure. It can provide speeds of up to 220 Mbps, making it a viable solution for remote areas.
The service is already available in several countries and has been particularly beneficial in areas with limited access to the traditional broadband.
India is expected to benefit from this offering due to the poor rural connectivity (high cost of laying traditional ground based internet infrastructure). Currently, internet penetration stands at around 47% i.e., over 700 million people in India don’t have a reliable internet access.
- It’s interesting to note that Airtel as well as Jio have been working on their own satellite based offering and hence the subject pacts are surprising to many.
- Airtel through Bharti backed OneWeb and Jio as Jio-SES
- Both Airtel and Jio are expected to distribute Starlink’s connections through their retail stores.
- Besides, Airtel’s agreement with Starlink also focuses on using the technology to complement its existing broadband services and expand connectivity in rural areas. Jio, on the other hand, plans to integrate Starlink into its broadband ecosystem only.
- Starlink is still to get requisite Indian regulatory approvals and hence the commercialisation of the subject pacts is sometime away.
More details on the pact and pricing (expected to be costly) will be known in due course.