From Himalayan villages to distant islands, DE-CIX’s integration of Starlink marks a milestone in India’s satcom push; promising low-latency internet where fibre cannot reach.
Global internet exchange operator DE-CIX has integrated Starlink’s Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite services into its Indian interconnection ecosystem, becoming the first internet exchange in the country to do so.
The move aims to expand reliable, high-speed internet access to India’s mountainous, rural, and island regions, where deploying fibre connectivity is challenging.
Starlink, which recently secured its commercial licence from the Department of Telecommunications, is awaiting final clearance expected by late 2025 or early 2026. The service is expected to come with an equipment cost of approximately ₹33,000 and a monthly subscription ranging between ₹ 3000 and ₹ 4200.
These costs are designed to strike a balance between accessibility and the promise of delivering reliable connectivity in challenging terrains.
Furthermore, the satellite network has the potential to deliver throughput speeds ranging from 25 Mbps to 220 Mbps. According to the companies, by linking to the DE-CIX interconnection ecosystem, Starlink will be able to connect directly with local and global networks. This could help improve latency and reliability for activities such as video streaming, virtual meetings, and digital services.
Experts note that while satellites can bring internet access to previously unconnected regions, their effectiveness depends on the quality of their connection to terrestrial infrastructure.
DE-CIX India’s presence across major hubs including Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Bengaluru is expected to provide Starlink with the necessary interconnection to content providers, data centres, and cloud platforms.
Satellite communication has long supported defence, weather monitoring, aviation and banking networks in India. The latest phase, however, focuses on low-latency broadband for consumers and enterprises. Alongside Starlink, players such as Airtel (with OneWeb), Jio (with SES), BSNL (with Viasat), and Amazon’s Project Kuiper are preparing for launch once spectrum allocation is resolved.
Industry watchers see the integration as a step forward in diversifying India’s internet infrastructure. Satellite services are not intended to replace fibre or mobile networks but could act as a complementary solution, particularly in geographies where ground deployment is slow or prohibitively expensive.
At the same time, questions remain around affordability for rural households and the extent to which satellite broadband will be adopted alongside ongoing government programmes aimed at last-mile connectivity.
Regulatory compliance remains central. Satcom operators must set up control centres in India for localisation and monitoring. This is “very important because satellite communications are being used not only by the government and military of different nations but also by the mafia, drug traffickers, terrorists, and other anti-social elements for clandestine communications,” noted Janani G. Vikram, a freelance writer and an enthusiast on emerging tech.
DE-CIX stated that the integration would enhance terrestrial resilience. They highlighted that the mission is to interconnect the world, and that includes space. By integrating Starlink into the Indian ecosystem, they are ensuring connectivity even in the most challenging geographies.
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has recommended administrative allocation of spectrum to accelerate deployment, though some mobile operators prefer auctions. With pilots underway, DE-CIX’s move is being seen as a step forward in bridging India’s digital divide.
Read more: Satellite Communication (SATCOM): What’s In Store For The Indian Market
