But is satellite internet truly a match for traditional fibre-optic broadband provided by giants like Reliance Jio or Bharti Airtel? In simple terms, fibre-optic networks — which transmit data as pulses of light through thin strands of glass—are currently unbeatable in speed and reliability. They deliver consistently high speeds, often hundreds or even thousands of megabits per second, and typically suffer fewer delays. Starlink, by comparison, offers speeds ranging between 50 to 200 megabits per second — good enough for most tasks but noticeably slower during peak usage.

Despite this, Starlink holds promise precisely because it can reach places fibre cannot. Already, Starlink has deployed more than 7,000 satellites, offering services across North America, Europe, and parts of Africa, Asia, and Oceania. The company’s vision is grand: a constellation of up to 12,000 satellites (potentially growing to over 30,000) that could blanket nearly every corner of the globe with internet access.

But there’s a catch: the cost. Starlink is expensive. Customers currently pay around $120 (roughly ₹10,000) per month for the service, with an upfront cost of about $349 ( ₹30,000) for the equipment needed to connect. That’s steep compared to fibre broadband, which can cost less than ₹1,000 per month in India. Moreover, each satellite dish actually costs Starlink about $599 to manufacture, meaning the company is losing money on hardware in its bid to attract customers. Analysts suggest these costs could fall in the future as Starlink ramps up production and gains economies of scale, but that scenario is still some years away.

Ajai Chowdhry, co-founder of HCL, Padma Bhushan awardee, and one of India’s most respected voices in hardware technology, sees Starlink’s recent partnership with Jio and Airtel as strategic rather than groundbreaking. “This will be an entry strategy for Starlink to understand the market and take benefits of the distribution of both. They will learn about the price-sensitive Indian market and be able to reduce costs of some hardware in the meantime. A few years later, they will go on their own.”

Investor and market analyst Krishna Jha agrees, but points out that Jio and Airtel aren’t threatened. “It won’t affect their businesses in the least. Satellite internet is marginal at best. Remote locations such as ships and oil rigs can now be serviced without setting up costly infrastructure. But it’s largely a public relations story, not that of market disruption.”

So, while Starlink captures imaginations and headlines alike, its immediate impact on India’s vast telecom market may remain limited. For now, traditional broadband will continue to dominate India’s connected landscape, with Starlink serving only niche areas. But the future could look very different. If Starlink succeeds in lowering costs, it might not just complement Jio and Airtel, it could become their fiercest competitor yet.

And that’s when India’s connectivity story could truly change, shifting from terrestrial battlegrounds to an entirely new frontier in space.