The development comes as Starlink gears up for its India launch, with a strong emphasis on last-mile and rural connectivity.
According to a report by Mint, RailTel is among the Indian companies that Starlink is in talks with as it explores local partnerships ahead of its commercial rollout in the country. The report said RailTel is considering offering retail broadband services to users by leveraging Starlink’s satellite-based internet services.
RailTel operates one of the largest public WiFi networks globally, providing free WiFi services at over 6,000 railway stations across India, along with an IP surveillance infrastructure at more than 5,000 stations.
The company currently has close to 6 lakh subscribers, with nearly 58% of its user base located in rural areas. It also has a network of over 11,000 partners engaged in installation and on-ground servicing.
While Starlink relies on satellites for internet access, it still requires ground gateways or teleport sites across India to ensure stable connectivity. RailTel’s existing fibre network, managed capacity, and network operations capabilities position it as a potential provider of back-end connectivity, monitoring, and security services for such gateway locations.
If discussions progress, RailTel could potentially expand connectivity beyond railway corridors into off-corridor villages, hilly and forested regions, islands, and border areas, without waiting for traditional fibre rollout. RailTel’s strong rural reach aligns with Starlink’s focus on last-mile connectivity in India.Separately, RailTel has also announced two order wins, as disclosed in its filings to the stock exchanges.
The company received a work order from the Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India, for the procurement of Comprehensive AMC Services for servers, storage, network, and network security devices, including license renewals. The size of this order is Rs 148.39 crore, with execution scheduled up to December 21, 2030.
In another filing, RailTel said it has been awarded a contract by the V.O. Chidambaranar Port Authority for the implementation of advanced IT infrastructure at the VOC Port. The estimated size of this order is Rs 26.88 crore, with execution expected to be completed by August 15, 2026.
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