Goa explores partnership with Elon Musk's Starlink: Here's what you need to know

The Government of Goa said it engaged in a strategic meeting with SpaceX's Starlink to discuss digital connectivity initiatives with the aim of strengthening the state's technology ecosystem and rural connectivity.

Two meetings were convened on December 12, 2025, focusing on collaborative avenues with Starlink that align with the State’s vision of advancing digital inclusion, fostering innovation and building resilient digital connectivity across both urban and remote regions.

The first meeting, held at the Mantralaya in Porvorim, took place in the presence of Chief Minister of Goa, Dr. Pramod Sawant. The delegation from Starlink included Ms Lauren Dreyer, Vice President, Starlink Business Operations Global Access & Operations, Prabhakar Jayakumar, Head of Starlink India and Manoj Ladwa, Government Affairs Strategist & Chairman, India Global Forum.

Speaking on the occasion, the chief minister highlighted how Goa is rapidly advancing in its digital transformation roadmap and emphasized the State’s continued efforts towards strengthening digital services and public delivery systems.

“Starlink’s interest in Goa would enable the State to leverage high-speed, low-latency satellite broadband to accelerate infrastructure development, enhance government service delivery and support key sectors such as tourism, rural connectivity, education, industry and fisheries that rely heavily on reliable communication networks,” the Chief Minister noted.

Another meeting was held at Taj Cidade de Goa, Dona Paula, attended by the Minister of Information Technology, Electronics & Communications, Tourism and Printing & Stationary, Rohan Khaunte, along with Dr. V. Candavelou IAS, Chief Secretary of Goa,  Kabir Shirgaonkar, Director Department of Information Technology, Electronics & Communication, Pravimal Abhishek IAS, Secretary Science & Technology, MD, Goa Industrial Development Corporation, Director of Transport with other senior officials and Lauren Dreyer, VP, Starlink Business Operations – Global Access & Operations, along with the Starlink team.

Highlighting Goa’s forward-looking approach, Rohan Khaunte stated how Goa is rapidly emerging as a preferred destination for global technology leaders.

“Goa is witnessing continual growth in emerging technologies, with global companies recognising Goa as an ideal hub for innovation, creation and scaling of technology-driven solutions,” he said.

The discussions outlined avenues where Starlink’s global satellite network could complement Goa’s development priorities, including strengthening rural and shadow-area connectivity, improving industrial and electronic manufacturing clusters with high-speed data coverage, enhancing last-mile delivery under the Har Ghar Fibre programme, modernising maritime and fisheries operations with real-time communication capabilities and advancing Goa’s Digital Nomad vision by providing seamless connectivity.

Opportunities to support initiatives like CCTV surveillance at beaches and AV/AR visitor guides, connect schools in low-coverage regions under the CARES initiative and enhance digital services in the tourism sector including homestays, beach security and maritime experiences were also discussed as part of a holistic connectivity roadmap.

The development follows Starlink’s disclosure of monthly pricing for its residential service in the Indian market. The Residential plan was listed at Rs 8,600 per month, with the hardware kit priced at a one-time cost of Rs 34,000.

However, while pricing information briefly appeared on the Starlink website, Dreyer clarified that a configuration glitch briefly made dummy test data visible, leading many users to believe the pricing had been finalised.

“Those numbers do not reflect what the cost of Starlink service will be in India. The glitch was quickly fixed,” she wrote on X.