Elon Musk’s SpaceX-backed Starlink is closer to launching in India, and has revealed the prices of residential plans on its local website after getting regulatory approval. The satellite internet service, targeting remote and underserved areas, received approval from IN-SPACe for commercial operations in July 2025, followed by spectrum allocation and security clearance from DoT. Although it is not yet fully operational—trials are underway in Maharashtra as the first state partner—but the pricing points to a launch soon, perhaps by Q1 2026.
Starlink’s entry-level residential plan—which is best for homes in fiber-deficient areas—is priced at ₹8,600 per month, plus a one-time hardware kit worth ₹34,000. The kit includes a self-aligning dish antenna, Wi-Fi router, and power supply for plug-and-play setup: Place it outside in a view of the sky, connect to power and the router, and download the app for alignment—it’ll be up and running in minutes, no professional installation required.
Main advantages:
– **Unlimited Data**: No limits, fixed broadband preferred over mobile.
– **Uptime and Reliability**: >99.9% availability, weather resistant (reduced to rain via LEO satellite at 550 km).
– **Trial**: 30-day money-back guarantee.
– **Speed**: Not yet confirmed for India, but global benchmarks suggest 25–220 Mbps download (average ~100 Mbps), 5–20 Mbps upload, and 20–40 ms latency—better than rural 4G but lagging behind urban fiber (300+ Mbps).
Location-based pricing and promos (like rural subsidies) have been hinted at but not yet disclosed as the services are still “awaiting regulatory approvals,” according to the site. Business Plan—Higher Speed/Priority for Enterprise—pending announcement.
Priced at ₹8,600/month—which is 3–4 times higher than urban broadband (₹500–2,000)—Starlink is targeting India’s 500 million offline people, bridging the digital divide in the Himalayas, islands and villages. Comparing with neighboring countries: Bangladesh’s residential light plan is ~₹3,000/month (BDT 4,200), hardware is ₹33,000. With over 8,000 satellites, it promises low-latency streaming/gaming, but the initial cost and spectrum fees (estimated at ₹3,000 crore) may drive up the premium.
People are very excited about the As Jio/Airtel eye satcom rivals, Starlink’s presence in 100 countries will help it achieve 10-20% rural penetration by 2030. Awaiting activation after signing up via starlink.com/in – keep an eye out for the Q4 pilot project.
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