Starlink’s ₹3000 Monthly Plan Sparks Debate on Affordability & Accessibility

Starlink’s Low-Earth Orbit Satellites to Bridge India’s Digital Divide

India announces the launch of Starlink services across the country. Starlink, an international telecommunication provider, owned by SpaceX, developed by Elon Musk, provides mobile broadband coverage to a number of countries worldwide, and now India has entered the list.

The Indian Ministry of Telecommunications has given Starlink an approval and commercial licence for access to all its Indians. This move underscores India’s broadband market expansion.

Pricing and Accessibility

The service is likely to begin in the following year i.e 2026 and its estimated price is set at Rs 3000 per month for unlimited data. Before the operations commence officially, a one month free trial will be given to the public.

Both Bharti Airtel and Jio, biggest telecom firms in India have given their verdict to distribute Starlink services once it releases officially.

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Since Starlink is known to provide mobile coverage across the globe, the rural and remote parts of India will no longer be left out. It has promised to offer high speed internet services, i.e., 600-700 gbps of bandwidth to all these regions with the help of its low-Earth Orbit satellite constellation. India will also benefit from this move, as it is going to solve a major problem of network and connectivity issues faced by the underdeveloped parts of the country.

Sanjay Bhargava, Former Starlink Head of India plans to reduce the estimated first year cost from ₹1.58 lakh to ₹1.15 lakh.

Plans and Market Expansion

Starlink has two plans—Residential Lite Plans and Standard plans whose prices vary accordingly. Besides India, both Bhutan and Bangladesh have begun actively using Starlink services. In Bangladesh, the residential lite plan is priced at 3000 taka while the standard price is a little higher up the ladder, i.e 6000 taka.

Its services have also been implemented in other Asian Countries like Japan, Malaysia and even South Africa and Yemen.

Although the Telecommunications department has approved rolling out its services, the approval of other regulatory bodies like the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is still pending.

Shortcomings and Global Power Dynamics

Even though this move benefits both sides, it may still face certain limitations. The monthly cost of ₹3000 is still unaffordable for the majority of the citizens. Although it glints at innovation and globalisation, and challenges competition, local broadband providers like Airtel, Jio, BSNL might face a setback.

It also challenges the threat to national security because at the core it is run by a Foreign provider. This move also raises questions on the global power dynamics with American autonomy taking over the world.