Elon Musk’s Starlink Internet service will be launched soon in India, maybe before the 5G launch. In reply to the tweet, SpaceX founder Elon Musk said, “Just figuring out regulatory approval process.”
After a long wait, India may get Starlink’s satellite Internet service soon. There is a chance to come before the 5G launch.
Until now, India has been in question about Sarlink’s update. But now, the founder of SpaceX and tech tycoon Elon Musk came forward on his own and answered this question.
Elon is very famous for his Tweeter revealing.
This Wednesday, he replied to a tweet from OnsetDigital (@Tryonset) asking for Starlink’s timeline and update in India.
Elon said they are figuring out the ‘regulatory approval’ process in India. And this clear indication from the Elon side shows Starlinks future in India.
Starlink recently shipped 100000 terminals to their customers. In March, Starlink started pre-booking for the super-fast internet service; they targeted to launch the service by 2022 in India.
What is Starlink?
Starlink is a satellite-based internet constellation service announced in January 2015. Elon Musk’s SpaceX operates it.
The goal is to provide internet access to most of the earth. They used Low Earth Orbit (LEO) small satellites weighing 260 kg, which sends and receives data from the ground transceiver to reach the goal.
They launch them in a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Starlink has more than 1600 working satellites in space.
The process is the same as TV cable service. During Starlink beta service, the initial speed varies from 50mb/s to 150mb/s, and the latency is 20ms to 40ms.
The reason behind it is that Starlink satellites fly 60 times closer to earth than traditional satellites. But this technology has some limitations; Starlink needs a clear view of the sky to connect with satellites.
Starlink’s technology is ideal for rural and remote communities where fibre internet services face challenges to provide high-speed broadband service.
This Starlink internet service costs $99 (nearly Rs 7000) monthly.
And for the hardware, the Starlink kit costs $499 (about Rs 36000); it comes with a Wi-Fi router, power supply, cables and mounting tripod.
5G vs Starlink:
The most common question nowadays is who is the best. But the reality is there is no competition between Starlink’s satellite Internet and 5G cellular networks. They both are capable in their way.
5th generation (5G) of mobile networks and the successor of 4G. 5G is based on the OFDM (Orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing) principle and uses 5G NR air interface technology.
5G will start a new era of the Internet of Things(IoT). It provides higher speed, ultra-low latency and more bandwidth.
5G will give us up to 10 gb/s speed and latency of 5 ms to 10ms. That means 5G will give us real-time experience.
Starlink is developed for rural and remote areas where we can’t add towers and copper or optical fibres.
What regulatory nod is Starlink facing in India:
To offer satellite services over any country, they have to follow International Telecommunication Union (ITU) regulations and long-standing international treaties along with countries specific laws.
In India, the government assesses their services and checks if they are breaking any rule under the Indian Telegraph Act (ITA ACT) of 1885, the Indian Wireless Telegraphy Act 1933, the Information Technology act of 2000 (IT act) and the Indian Satellite Communication Policy 2000.
The department of telecommunication(DOT) has not yet commented on the Startinks offer.
Currently, Starlink provides its Public beta service in 14 countries, with pending applications for regulatory approvals in many more.
After launching 60 mini-satellites in a single launch, the company targeted to launch 30,000 mini-satellites into the earth’s low orbit to expand the customer base and provide seamless experiences across the globe.
