Commerce and industries minister Piyush Goyal on Wednesday held a meeting with a delegation from satellite internet services provider Starlink to discuss the company’s current partnerships and explore future investment opportunities in India.

“Met a delegation from @Starlink, comprising of vice president Chad Gibbs and senior director, Ryan Goodnight. Discussions covered Starlink’s cutting-edge technology platform, their existing partnerships and future investment plans in India,” Goyal said in a post on social media platform X.

Billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Jio in March announced a pact with Elon Musk’s SpaceX to bring Starlink satellite internet services to India.

Telecom tycoon Sunil Bharti Mittal’s Bharti Airtel has also signed a similar partnership deal with SpaceX.

Industry is now keeping a close watch on the pricing of satellite spectrum.

Telecom minister Jyotiraditya Scindia had earlier said the government has decided to assign telecom spectrum administratively and telecom regulator Trai is in the process of determining the assignment price. The minister had also indicated that there are several players that have applied to provide satellite internet services in India.

Starlink in November 2024 had pitched for allocation of spectrum at less than 1 per cent of adjusted gross revenue (AGR), a metric used to determine the revenue telecom operators share with the government, primarily through spectrum use charges and licensing fees.

Moreover, with satellite broadband services likely to be priced at a premium compared with fibre-based broadband, government subsidies might be required to make them affordable for the masses in rural and remote areas.