I’m not a telecom expert, but am an investor in Indus. Just read about this: Starlink could theoretically be a threat to Indus and the Telecom industry in the far future (10 years+), but it is still pretty far from getting there, due to the following:
- Starlink is still not fully approved in India – it could be a few years before it is approved for commercial usage
- After approval, it would need to apply / bid for spectrum allocation – which could be a significant cost for Starlink, which is currently loss-making. So, I’m not sure if they have sufficient funds to bid for spectrum
- Based on costs in other parts of the world, I doubt this solution would be cost effective when compared to Indian mobile and broadband costs in big cities and towns: ” As per industry estimates, the pricing of satellite Internet services is expected to be around Rs 8,000-10,000 per month along with one time set-up cost. This is significantly high, compared to affordable home broadband plans of Rs 399 per month by telcos such as Reliance Jio.”
- Based on the current download speeds, it is probably at the lower end of 4G: 60~90Mbps. So , would not be a great solution to stream videos / download movies etc. However, it might be quite a good solution for remote areas without cell tower coverage (e.g. mountains / forests).
So, in conclusion, I think it is a solution that will complement existing mobile and broadband coverage in India, especially to remote locations where is it not economical to set up towers and lay data cables.
Sources:
- Starlink is getting a lot slower as more people use it, speed tests show | Ars Technica
- https://www.financialexpress.com/business/industry-musks-starlink-to-get-satellite-internet-licence-next-month-3256844/
- Starlink – Wikipedia
| Subscribe To Our Free Newsletter |
