Starlink Clarifies India Website Glitch as Placeholder Data; Real Plans Await Final Government Approval

The episode unfolded when visitors to Starlink’s India page noticed a residential plan priced at Rs 8,600 per month, along with a hardware kit costing Rs 34,000. The kit appeared to include the typical Starlink setup: a satellite dish, Wi-Fi router, cables, and mounting equipment. The page even highlighted features such as unlimited data, 99.9% uptime, and weather-resistant connectivity—details that closely match Starlink’s international offerings. A partially listed business plan also appeared during the same window.

Within hours, the listings disappeared, and Starlink issued a clarification.
Lauren Dreyer, VP of Starlink Business Operations, explained on X that the information was not official at all. She said the “Starlink India website is not live” and the data shown “does not reflect what the cost of Starlink service will be in India.” According to Dreyer, the glitch was caused by a configuration error that mistakenly allowed dummy test data to go public.

Dreyer further emphasised that Starlink will announce genuine pricing and plans only after the required government approvals are secured. The brief leak, however, was enough to ignite conversations about what Starlink’s eventual tariffs might look like—especially in a market dominated by low-cost broadband and mobile data plans.

When will Starlink actually launch in India?
Although the company has been preparing for months, its rollout remains stuck at the final regulatory stage. On Starlink’s official availability map, India continues to be marked as “pending regulatory approval.” However, industry sources suggest that progress is being made behind the scenes, giving the company hope for a near-future launch.

Dreyer expressed Starlink’s eagerness to bring its services to the country, saying, “We're eager to connect the people of India with Starlink's high-speed internet, and our teams are focused on obtaining final government approvals to turn service (and the website) on."

Meanwhile, signs of infrastructure development have already begun to emerge. Several reports indicate that Starlink plans to set up gateway earth stations—vital for linking satellites to ground users—in major cities such as Chandigarh, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, and Noida. These hubs are expected to play a critical role in ensuring low-latency, stable connectivity once services go live.

At the state level, governments are also showing growing interest in the project. Maharashtra has taken the lead by signing a Letter of Intent with Starlink Satellite Communications Private Limited. The agreement aims to bring satellite-based internet connectivity to underserved districts like Gadchiroli, Nandurbar, Dharashiv, and Washim. The announcement was made in the presence of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and IT Minister Ashish Shelar. Welcoming the Starlink team to Mumbai, Fadnavis wrote on X that it was an “honour” for the state to partner with the company.

Adding to this momentum, SpaceX recently advertised multiple job openings in Bengaluru—including positions such as Payments Manager, Senior Treasury Analyst and Tax Manager—indicating that operational groundwork is already underway.

As regulatory approval inches closer, Starlink’s India ambitions appear to be turning into a reality. For now, though, the company has made it clear that all official details—especially pricing—will be revealed only once government permissions are in place.