Elon Musk's Starlink May Finally Begin Offering Internet Services In India Soon: Here's Why

Elon Musk’s Starlink, a brainchild of his SpaceX venture, is on the cusp of lighting up India’s internet landscape. Starlink’s ambitious proposal has been gathering dust for nearly a year, thanks to security concerns raised by the home ministry. But, now there’s a glimmer of hope.

What Happened? Per a Times of India report, a high-profile meeting later this month might finally see Starlink’s bid for a global mobile personal communications satellite (GMPCS) services license discussed. While insiders hint at a likely approval, they also caution about potential last-minute snags.

But even with this license, Starlink’s work is cut out. A series of nods from various governmental departments, including the space department, await them. While competitors like Sunil Mittal‘s One Web and Mukesh Ambani‘s Jio have already secured their GMPCS licenses, Jeff Bezos‘ ‘Project Kuiper’ is yet to make its Indian debut.

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A flashback to 2021 reminds us of Starlink’s initial hiccup in India. They jumped the gun, collecting advance payments without a license, leading to a stern reprimand and a refund spree. But with over 5,000 eager pre-orders already in, India seems ready to embrace Starlink.

How does Starlink work? Imagine a constellation of thousands of satellites, all orbiting the Earth, ensuring every nook and cranny of our planet gets high-speed internet. That’s Starlink for you. Currently, the sky is dotted with 4,519 of these satellites, with a whopping 4,487 actively beaming down data, as per the keen observations of Astronomer Jonathan McDowell.

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