The pricing for Elon Musk-owned Starlink’s satellite internet services for India, which briefly appeared on its website, was swiftly clarified by the company as a technical error. Starlink confirmed that the India website is not yet live, and official service pricing has not been announced for Indian customers.
Test Data Mistake and Official Clarification
Lauren Dreyer, Vice President of Starlink business operations, took to X (formerly Twitter) to address the speculation directly. She confirmed that the prematurely visible data was unintentional:
“The Starlink India website is not live, service pricing for customers in India has not yet been announced, and we are not taking orders from customers in India. There was a config glitch that briefly made dummy test data visible, but those numbers do not reflect what the cost of Starlink service will be in India. The glitch was quickly fixed.”
Dreyer emphasized the company’s eagerness to launch operations in the country:
“We’re eager to connect the people of India with Starlink’s high-speed internet, and our teams are focused on obtaining final government approvals to turn service (and the website) on,” she added.
Regulatory Hurdles Remain
The exact launch date for the Starlink India website remains pending. When any Indian address is checked for connectivity on the Starlink website, the message still reads “pending regulatory approval.”
This indicates that the full commercial rollout is contingent upon securing final regulatory and compliance clearances from India’s Department of Telecommunications (DoT).
The Promise of Satellite Internet for India
Starlink’s potential entry holds significant promise for India, particularly for demographics that struggle with unreliable internet access.
- Target Demographic: The satellite-powered network is engineered to serve the large rural population and remote areas where traditional broadband networks are often non-existent or inadequate.
- Reliability: The company claims its equipment is capable of withstanding various weather conditions and is designed to provide an uptime of more than 99.9 per cent.
This robust and reliable service could be transformative for students, small businesses, and local administrations in remote Indian villages, fostering greater economic and educational connectivity.