Elon Musk said that Starlink can bring internet to India’s remote and rural areas where there is still a major connectivity problem. Musk made this statement on Friday (August 21) by sharing a post on social media platform X. A day earlier, Starlink had also re-applied for a licence in India. Elon Musk re-shared a post by ‘DogeDesigner’ on X and wrote, ‘Starlink will help the most underserved people in India, especially in rural areas.’ More than 11,000 villages in India do not have 4G network According to DogeDesigner’s post, as of May 2026, more than 11,000 listed villages in India did not have 4G network access. According to the data, as of March 2026, there were a total of 109.3 crore internet subscriptions in India. Of these, 44.08 crore subscribers were in rural areas. Large gap between urban and rural internet connections A significant difference is observed in urban and rural internet density in the country… BharatNet work continues, but points of presence are less Under the government scheme BharatNet, more than 8.5 lakh route-kilometers of fiber have been laid across the country. Through this, approximately 2,21,000 Gram Panchayats (GPs) have been made service-ready. However, by June 2026, ‘Points of Presence’ (PoP) had become operational in only 80,472 Gram Panchayats. How will Starlink work in remote areas? According to Musk, Starlink technology can provide connectivity in remote villages, hilly areas, islands, infrastructure-deficient regions, and disaster-affected areas. Through direct-to-device connectivity, mobile phones can remain connected to the network even without tower coverage. This is why it has been demanded that the Indian government should complete the remaining approvals and allocate spectrum, and clear the path for Starlink’s commercial launch as soon as possible. Talks with government ongoing, denial of reports about approval being stuck Starlink is trying to launch its satellite broadband services in India, while the government is preparing a regulatory framework for satellite spectrum allocation and services. Recently, media reports claimed that India has halted the approval process due to security and geopolitical concerns. Security agencies feared that controlling an American operator would be difficult during times of geopolitical tension. Starlink Vice President says – Productive discussions with Indian government continue Lauren Dreyer, Vice President of Starlink Business Operations, dismissed these claims. She said not to pay attention to misleading reports, and that the company is having continuous and positive discussions with the Indian government. What is Satellite internet and how is it different from towers?
The post Starlink re-applies for a satellite internet licence in India:Musk to bring internet to India’s villages remote areas appeared first on Tri-Cities India.