MAHARASHTRA will be the first Indian state to roll out Elon Musk's Starlink internet service, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Wednesday.
Starlink, which offers high-speed internet through low-orbit satellites to remote locations, has triggered debate in India over issues including predatory pricing and spectrum allocation.
India, which is projected to have more than 900 million internet users by the end of this year, granted Starlink a licence in June.
Maharashtra was “poised to become the first Indian state to formally collaborate with Starlink,” Fadnavis said on X late Wednesday.
“This collaboration... will ensure the state leads India in satellite-enabled digital infrastructure.”
In March, India’s biggest telecom service providers — Jio Platforms and Bharti Airtel — announced agreements with SpaceX to offer Starlink internet to their customers.
Starlink’s vice-president of business operations, Lauren Dreyer, said she was “excited” to further India’s digital vision.
“Looking forward to connecting schools, medical facilities and beyond in the most remote and unconnected areas once Starlink receives final approvals,” Dreyer said in a statement.
Major technology firms expanding in the world’s fifth-largest economy have made a series of announcements this year.
In October, Google said it will invest 15 billion US dollars in India over the next five years to build a data centre and artificial intelligence base, which it described as the largest AI hub it is investing in outside the United States.
US companies Anthropic and OpenAI are planning Indian offices, while Perplexity announced a major partnership in July with Indian telecom company Airtel.
