look news india
News India Live, Digital Desk: Imagine, you are sitting in a remote village in India, where even the mobile network is not good, and there you are downloading a 4K movie at a speed of 1 Gbps. This is no longer a dream, but is going to become a reality, the script of which is being written in space. The world’s two biggest billionaires, Jeff Bezos (Amazon) and Elon Musk (SpaceX), have now brought their satellite internet battle to India. This competition between Amazon’s ‘Project Kuiper’ and Elon Musk’s ‘Starlink’ will not only create a stir in India’s telecom market, but will also change the way we and you use the internet forever.
What is this satellite internet battle?
Till now the Internet reaches us through fiber optic cable or mobile tower. But laying cables or installing towers in mountains, deserts and remote villages is a very difficult and expensive task. This is where satellite internet comes into the picture.
- Starlink: This project of Elon Musk’s company SpaceX is already active in many countries of the world. Starlink has placed thousands of small satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO). These satellites cover the entire earth like a network and send high-speed internet directly to a small dish (antenna) installed at the user’s home.
- Project Kuiper: This project of Amazon is a direct answer to Starlink. Similarly, Amazon is also installing a group of thousands of satellites in space. Recently they have also successfully tested their first two prototype satellites and are soon preparing to launch satellites on a large scale. Amazon has also obtained the license for its testing in India.
What does this mean for India?
India has the second largest internet user base in the world, but even today a large population of the country does not have access to fast and reliable internet.
- Internet will reach every corner: Services like Starlink and Project Kuiper can deliver high-speed internet to places where fiber cable is almost impossible to reach, from the snowy mountains of Ladakh to the Andaman Islands and the desert villages of Rajasthan.
- Telecom companies will get direct competition: The dominance of companies like Jio, Airtel and Vi is currently limited to cities and towns. Satellite Internet will provide its services directly from space, causing these companies to face a completely new type of competitor. This will increase competition in the market and prices are expected to come down.
- Will become a boon in times of disaster: When mobile towers and cable lines go down during natural disasters like floods, earthquakes or storms, satellite internet can become the only means of maintaining it.
- Better Speed and Less Interruption: LEO satellites are very close to the Earth, so data takes very little time to travel (this is called latency). This means that you will get the best experience in video calling, online gaming and streaming without buffering.
What will be the impact on the common man?
Satellite internet services may be a little expensive in the beginning, but as competition increases and technology becomes more advanced, prices are likely to come down. Not only will the common man get a new and better option for internet, but the existing telecom companies will also be forced to improve their service and speed.
This is not just a war of the internet, it is a war of control over future technology, the biggest benefit of which is going to be given to a huge and diverse country like India.