MUMBAI: Maharashtra, home to India’s financial capital Mumbai, will be the first state in the country to formally roll out Elon Musk’s Starlink internet service, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced on Wednesday.
Starlink, SpaceX’s satellite-based high-speed internet service, aims to connect remote and underserved locations. Its launch in India has triggered debates over pricing, spectrum allocation, and regulatory compliance, particularly as India is projected to surpass 900 million internet users by the end of this year.
India granted Starlink a licence in June. “This collaboration… will ensure the state leads India in satellite-enabled digital infrastructure,” Fadnavis said on Musk-owned platform X, emphasizing Maharashtra’s role as a digital pioneer.
In March, India’s major telecom operators, Jio Platforms and Bharti Airtel, signed deals with SpaceX to integrate Starlink services for their customers, expanding access to high-speed internet in remote areas.
Lauren Dreyer, Starlink’s business operations vice-president, expressed enthusiasm about supporting India’s digital expansion. “We look forward to connecting schools, medical facilities, and other institutions in the most remote and unconnected areas once Starlink receives final approvals,” she said.
The move comes amid a surge of foreign tech investment in India. In October, Google announced plans to invest $15 billion over five years to build a data centre and AI hub—the largest AI investment by the company outside the United States.
Other US technology firms, including Anthropic and OpenAI, are also planning Indian offices, while AI-powered search company Perplexity signed a major partnership in July with Airtel.
The Starlink rollout in Maharashtra is expected to accelerate digital connectivity in rural and hard-to-reach regions, supporting India’s broader digital and educational initiatives.
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