SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet service currently has very long wait times, but the company is signaling that a major international expansion is underway in India.
Company representatives in the country recently gave a presentation that revealed SpaceX is aiming to ship out 200,000 Starlink dishes to local users by December 2022. Once set up, these dishes will supply rural districts in India with high-speed internet from satellites in orbit.
The 200,000 number is noteworthy because currently SpaceX is only serving about 100,000 users. Meanwhile, another 500,000 prospective customers have already signed up to try out the service but are waiting for access.
One factor holding back the system has been production of the Starlink satellite dishes. SpaceX was previously only churning out around 5,000 dishes per week. But in September, the company said it was preparing to boost the manufacturing by multiples of 5,000.
Still, there are signs that the global supply crunch may be throwing a wrench into SpaceX’s plans. Last week, the company updated the official website for Starlink to note the ongoing chip shortage is delaying shipments to customers.
In the meantime, SpaceX’s India director, Sanjay Bhargava, announced on Monday that the company has formally established a subsidiary in the country to pave the way for the Starlink’s arrival. “We can now start applying for licenses, open bank accounts, etc,” Bhargava added.
The company plans to first bring Starlink to 20 schools in India through 100 free Starlink dishes. It’ll then ship 200,000 Starlink dishes to 12 rural districts across India before the end of 2022.