Starlink, an integral part of SpaceX led by Elon Musk, has registered its business in India as the company is attempting to make all the necessary arrangements before it applies for licenses from the local government for its internet service business.
Country Director for Starlink in India, Sanjay Bhargava said: “SpaceX now has a 100 percent owned subsidiary in India. The name is SSCPL- Starlink Satellite Communications Private Limited and the incorporation date is November 1, 2021.”
He also went on to confirm that the company will now begin applying for licenses to start its broadband services as it applies for regulatory approval. It intends to start its satellite-based broadband services next year and has even taken orders from customers early on this year.
Initially, the primary focus of the company will be focusing on offering its services in ten rural Lok Sabha constituencies. The company claims the service is “ideally suited” in areas where connectivity is “unreliable or completely unavailable”.
Starlink is planning to offer 200,000 active terminals in over 160,000 districts by December 2022.
It remains to be seen if the company is in fact able to achieve that goal as they have a rather shaky track record. As of August 2021, the company had shipped 100,000 user terminals in 14 countries.
Sanjay Bhargava, a former PayPal executive, was hired to lead the India Division of Starlink in October this year. Apart from him, the company has hired several key executives in India in recent months, including Parnil Urdhwareshe, who was previously overseeing AMD’s policy efforts in India.
For those unaware, Starlink is launching small satellites to build a low-earth orbiting network to provide low-latency broadband internet services.
It aims to serve rural communities in India and is actively working with Niti Aayog, the think tank of the Indian Government, to identify 12 districts in the country for the company’s initial development.
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