New Delhi: Starlink has clarified that the pricing briefly displayed on its India website was a configuration error and does not reflect the actual cost of its services in the country. The glitch showed a monthly subscription of Rs 8,600 and a hardware kit priced at Rs 34,000 for new subscribers, causing confusion among potential customers.
Lauren Dreyer, Vice President and Senior Director of Starlink Business Operations at SpaceX, said in a statement that the India website is not yet live for taking orders, and the company has not announced official service pricing. She explained that the numbers appeared due to “dummy test data” and were quickly corrected. Dreyer added that Starlink remains committed to bringing high-speed satellite internet to India once final government approvals are obtained.
Starlink aims to offer features such as plug-and-play installation, over 99.9 percent uptime, extreme weather resilience, and no data caps. The service is particularly targeted at regions where terrestrial broadband remains unreliable, including rural and remote areas.
The company has also been preparing for operations in India, reflected in recent hiring activity in Bengaluru. Positions opened in October included roles in payments, accounting, treasury, and tax management, indicating steps toward scaling up for launch.
In a significant development, the Maharashtra government signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) with Starlink Satellite Communications Private Limited to deploy satellite-based internet for government institutions, rural communities, and critical infrastructure in underserved districts such as Gadchiroli, Nandurbar, Dharashiv, and Washim. The signing was attended by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and IT Minister Ashish Shelar.
CM Fadnavis welcomed the collaboration on social media, highlighting Starlink as one of the largest ICT companies globally, with the largest fleet of communication satellites. The partnership marks Maharashtra as the first Indian state to formally engage with Starlink for expanding internet connectivity in remote and aspirational regions.
