Starlink, a satellite broadband service provider owned by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, is expected to become a part of the Indian connectivity ecosystem from 2022. Since 2020 now, the company has been selling pre-bookings in India. The pre-booking connection is available for $99 or Rs 7,500 approximately. Starlink might ship a new kind of dish to users in India. The company recently introduced a rectangular dish which is not only smaller in size but is also lighter and has more accessory options.
According to a report from The Verge, Starlink has introduced a new rectangular dish that is only 12 inches wide and 19 inches long. It weighs 9.2 pounds which is very light compared to the circular dish the company has been providing since the time it launched beta services.
Starlink Might Go With Rectangular Dish in India
One of the advantages of a smaller rectangular dish would be that users will get more freedom for placing the dish wherever they want. They can even place it in their garden or ground nearby with the long-pole without having the need to put it on the roof.
The connection can be pre-booked in India from Starlink’s website. However, there’s one thing that you must consider. The pre-booking amount is just a fraction of the cost that you will have to pay. Outside India, Starlink charges $99 a month for its users to access satellite broadband internet. On top of that, users have to pay $499 or Rs 37,095 approximately for getting the hardware kit from the company, which includes a power supply, Wi-Fi router, stand, and antenna.
Starlink has said that it will subsidise the cost of the overall connection heavily in India. There’s no change in price between the circular or the rectangular antenna kit. According to Gwynne Shotwell, regardless of what Starlink is charging for the hardware, it is still a loss for the company as its production cost is too high.
