Business magnate and Tesla Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk may enter the Indian telecom sector through his private space firm, SpaceX, as part of its Starlink project.
According to the plans of SpaceX, Musk is planning to enter the ever-growing Indian telecommunications industry with 100-Mbps satellite-based internet, reported CNBC-TV18.
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Also, Starlink is eyeing the $1 trillion market made up of in-flight internet, maritime services, demand in China and India.
Musk has requested the Indian government to consider allowing satellite-based broadband technologies to operate in the country.
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) had on August 2020 issued a consultation paper on a roadmap to ‘Promote Broadband Connectivity and Enhanced Broadband’.
Replying to the paper, SpaceX's Satellite Government Affairs Vice President Patricia Cooper said Starlink’s high-speed satellite network would advance the goal of delivering broadband connectivity in the near term to all Indians.
She mentioned that their service would be available to those "without access now or in the near term to broadband services traditionally available only to customers in urban and suburban areas".
She added that their services would eradicate the high costs associated with traditional broadband. Also, SpaceX may launch Starlink in India soon, provided TRAI pays heed to these recommendations.
What is Starlink?
SpaceX's Starlink is a low-Earth satellite constellation which has the ability to provide broadband internet connection to even the remotest corners of the world.
So far, SpaceX has launched about 1,000 satellites to provide the service. According to the company, the internet speeds vary between 50 Mbps and 150 Mbps.
Earlier on February 5, SpaceX had said its Starlink satellite internet service amassed more than 10,000 users across the world in just four months, reported CNBC-TV18.
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