Starlink is now sending out government mandated pre-order refunds in India
If you’re one of the few people who’ve pre-ordered Starlink services, we’ve got some bad news for you. The company is in the process of offering refunds to its Indian customers who have pre-ordered the internet service. This follows the direction of the Department of Telecommunications due to the fact that it is not even licensed yet. Gadgets360 has even verified the email. There was no concrete reason given to people who’d preordered the service except that there are several issues that need to be sorted out before the company can start operations. This is a major blow to Starlink as India was seen as one of its most important markets.
Starlink pre-order now receiving refunds in India
In fact, back in November, we reported that the company has started pre-orders but according to the Indian government, has no permission to actually start running the service in the country. The Indian government has also asked people to stop placing pre-orders and signing up for the service. We also noted that India is currently hovering at around the 65th to 70th place in terms of internet speed rankings. It also only has about 41% of the population connected to the internet. Even though that is a large number globally, it means that more than half of the Indian population does not have easy access to the internet. Starlink could have been an alternative but the company has to play by the rules set by the Indian government.
As of now, India expects about 200 million people to gain access to the internet in the coming decade. With this hurdle, Starlink looks to be a far-flung option for people looking for accessible internet all over the world. We do hope that Starlink figures out and fixies the issues as the service does sound like a great deal. The company has already registered as an official business in the country but this setback is another hurdle it must overcome.
Also Read: Elon Musk’s Starlink too fast for Indian bureaucracy, will need a license to operate in the country
