‘It was a glitch that briefly made dummy test data visible’: SpaceX exec on Starlink India pricing

SpaceX executive Lauren Dreyer has clarified that the Starlink India website is not yet live and that the company has not announced official pricing or begun accepting customer orders in the country.

SpaceX is a US-based spacetech company that owns and operates Starlink.

Dreyer’s clarification came after reports claimed that Starlink India’s residential plan was priced at Rs 8,600 per month, with the required hardware kit listed at a one-time cost of Rs 34,000. While the website did display pricing information, Dreyer said 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.

“We're eager to connect the people of India with Starlink's high-speed internet, and our teams are focused on obtaining final government approvals to turn service (and the website) on,” she added.

The Starlink India website is not live, service pricing for customers in India has not yet been announced, and we are not taking orders from customers in India.

There was a config glitch that briefly made dummy test data visible, but those numbers do not reflect what the cost… https://t.co/TU8cUjcYGL

— Lauren Dreyer (@LaurenDreyer) December 8, 2025

Netizens reaction

Dreyer's post sparked a wave of reactions on X (formerly Twitter). Several users commented, with some suggesting that the incident resembled a marketing tactic.

Seems like clever marketing.

1. Test out a price
2. Get public reaction
3. If feedback postive - Go ahead
4. If feedback negative - Blame it on tech and reprice.

Strategy as old as time.

— Rahul Kaushik (@rahulkgrowth) December 8, 2025

“Unlimited data high speed broadband connections go for Rs 500-700 even in rural areas. Companies like Jio and Airtel are offering internet plus DTH services at Rs 1000-1200 a month Price it cheaper or around it to stay relevant,” a user noted.

“Atleast now they know Indian market won't pay 8k a month for Starlink. Prices need to be set significantly lower than the config price in case they want to target indian middle class. Else the product will only be for rich,” another said.

“Forget the price! Elon Musk is Elon Musk! He's THE GUY! Starlink’s Rs 8,400/month pricing is a filter! (~$99) He is targeting the India nobody else can reach. Jio and Airtel have already won the cities. Musk knows this. His real targets are - Rural, remote, mountainous and border areas. Those places where fiber will take 10-15 years, towers are costly and unreliable, 4G/5G is patchy, state wants connectivity but can’t build it fast, local ISPs cannot scale, businesses need uptime and defence needs secure uplink. India has over 40 crore people with weak or no high-speed internet. That’s Musk’s goldmine! Rs 8,400/month is not for households. It’s for farm cooperatives, schools, rural hospitals, defence outposts, mining camps, renewable energy sites, maritime routes, hotels and homestays in remote locations and border villages. Musk is building infrastructure, not chasing subscribers. The high price is his deliberate move, it keeps the customer base “high-value,” a third added.