Starlink to Tap Telcos and Data Centres Ahead of India Launch

Starlink, the satellite broadband venture of Elon Musk, is preparing to begin operations in India. The company is holding discussions with telecom operators Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio, and Tata Communications, as per the Economic Times reports. 

Talks are also underway with data centre operators, including Sify Technologies, STT, Equinix, and CtrlS Datacenters.

Internet Exchanges & Fibre Companies

Alongside telecom and data centre partnerships, Starlink is engaging with internet exchange providers such as DE-CIX and Extreme, and fibre infrastructure firms like Microscan. These partnerships are for creating the terrestrial network required for connecting its low-earth orbit satellites.

Approvals & Investment Estimates

As per news reports, the company has received regulatory approvals in India and has been allotted trial bandwidth for testing. People aware of the matter said letters of intent to partners are expected to be issued within this month. Initial investment in India is estimated to be about ₹500 crore.

Plans for Ground Stations

Starlink has identified 17 locations across India for establishing ground stations. These facilities are necessary to connect satellites with terrestrial fibre and data systems. As per Indian regulations, all downlink traffic is required to be stored and routed locally, making these hubs an essential part of the rollout.

Competition in Satellite Broadband

The company’s entry comes as competition builds in India’s satellite broadband segment. Bharti-backed Eutelsat OneWeb, Reliance Jio’s satellite venture with SES, Amazon’s Project Kuiper, and Apple’s satcom partner Globalstar are among the other players setting up infrastructure in the country.

Read more: UIDAI Partners with Starlink for Aadhaar-Based Customer Onboarding!

Confirmed Partnerships

As per news reports, DE-CIX confirmed last week that it has partnered with Starlink, while Extreme IXP said the operator has already connected to its Mumbai port. These early connections are to support applications such as video calls, streaming, and online gaming, which require low latency.

Conclusion

With approvals granted, ground station sites identified, and initial partnerships in place, Starlink has started laying the groundwork for its India launch in the satellite broadband market.

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