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Earlier this month, Elon Musk’s Starlink received a licence from the telecom department for providing satellite internet services in India, a key milestone that will take it closer towards launching commercial operations in the country.
COO of Elon Musk’s SpaceX, Gwynne Shotwell, on Tuesday called on Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, a meeting that comes just days after Starlink secured a licence from the Telecom Department. Scindia said discussions centred around various opportunities for collaboration in satellite communications to power Digital India.
Elon Musk’s recent initiatives in India shows his increasing focus on the country. These developments come at a time when Musk’s tensions with the U.S. President Donald Trump has been growing in recent times.
After the Starlink launch, now Tesla is set to open its first showroom in India by July in Mumbai. The company is importing its Model Y SUVs from its factory in China.
Tesla’s first batch of vehicles, comprising five Model Y rear-wheel drive SUVs, has already arrived in India. These vehicles were shipped from Tesla’s Shanghai factory. According to Bloomberg News, based on official documents, the Model Y is currently the world’s best-selling electric vehicle.
Tesla’s first showroom will open in Mumbai, likely by mid-July after which another in New Delhi. The company has also imported parts for superchargers, car accessories, and other equipment from the U.S., China, and the Netherlands to support its operations.
The five Model Y SUVs that arrived in Mumbai are priced at Rs 27.7 lakh each. However, due to India’s high import duties, over Rs 21 lakh in tariffs have been added to the cost. Fully built imported cars priced under $40,000 are subject to a 70% tariff in India, along with additional charges.
Starlink is a satellite internet service developed by SpaceX the American aerospace manufacturer and space transportation company founded in 2002 by the world’s richest man Musk. It provides high-speed, low-latency broadband internet worldwide using satellite technology and is aptly described by some as broadband beamed from the skies.
Unlike conventional satellite services that rely on distant geostationary satellites, Starlink utilises the world’s largest low Earth orbit or LEO constellation (550 km above Earth).
This constellation of LEO satellites (7,000 now but eventually set to grow to over 40,000) and its mesh delivers broadband internet capable of supporting streaming, online gaming, and video calls.
Starlink, which had been vying for an India licence for some time now, recently signed pacts with Ambani’s Reliance Jio and Mittal’s Bharti Airtel, which together control more than 70 per cent of the country’s telecom market, to bring the US satellite internet giant’s services to India.
(With Inputs From PTI)
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