Starlink gets license for satellite internet service in India

Why in news ?

• At the Mobile Conclave held in New Delhi, Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia announced that Elon Musk's Starlink has got the license to provide satellite internet service in India.
• Along with this, the Government of India has also prepared a framework for spectrum allocation so that these services can be started without any hindrance.

Key Points:

The Union Minister has released important statistics related to India's digital progress-

• Telephone connections: India now has a total of 1.2 billion telephone connections.
• Internet users: There are now 97 crore internet users with an increase of 286% in the last few years.
• Decline in data rates:
  • Mobile data rates have fallen by 96.6%.
  • India has become the cheapest data provider in the world today.
• 5G Network Coverage:
  • 99.6% of districts have 5G network coverage.
  • 30 crore consumers are availing 5G services through 4.74 lakh 5G towers.
• BSNL's progress:
  • BSNL has made a strong comeback by setting up 83,000+ 4G network sites.

About Starlink:

• Starlink is a satellite internet service from SpaceX that aims to provide high-speed, low-latency broadband internet to parts of the world where traditional internet services are unreliable, expensive or simply unavailable.
• It uses a large constellation of thousands of small satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO). These satellites are very close to the Earth's surface, which significantly reduces latency compared to traditional geosynchronous satellites.
• The main advantage of Starlink is its high internet speed and low latency. This makes it suitable for online gaming, video conferencing, and other bandwidth-intensive activities.
• Apart from providing internet access for individuals and businesses in remote areas, Starlink is also being used for disaster relief and government applications.
• Starlink is constantly expanding the number of its satellites and coverage area.