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13-03-2025
NEW YORK/ NEW DELHI: Elon Musk’s Starlink has signed a deal with India’s No. 2 telecoms company Airtel to bring Starlink’s internet services to the world’s most populous country, intensifying rivalry with fellow billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s telecom firm Reliance Jio.
The pact will allow the US satellite internet giant to utilize Airtel’s retail store network to distribute its devices throughout India, and is conditional upon Starlink obtaining government approval to begin operations in the country.
Airtel said on Tuesday the companies will look at using each other’s network infrastructure to enhance coverage, but didn’t provide details. Airtel will also explore offering Starlink services to its business and other customers.
The Starlink announcement comes weeks after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Elon Musk in Washington where they discussed issues including space, mobility, technology and innovation.
Starlink, which has long wanted to launch in India, has clashed recently with Ambani’s telecom firm Reliance Jio over how the country should grant spectrum for satellite services.
Reliance had urged an auction but the Indian government sided with Musk, who wanted it to be allocated administratively, in line with global trends. Analysts say an auction, requiring much more investment, would likely deter foreign rivals.
Ambani has been worried that his telecom company, which spent $19 billion in airwave auctions, risks losing broadband customers to Starlink and potentially even data and voice clients later.
Airtel has a similar distribution agreement with global satellite group Eutelsat, where its parent entity owns a stake.
Eutelsat’s OneWeb and Reliance Jio have already won approvals from India’s space regulator to launch commercial satellite broadband services in the country.
Indian telecom operator Bharti Airtel said on Tuesday it had signed an agreement with Elon Musk’s SpaceX to bring Starlink’s satellite internet service to customers in the world’s most populous country.
The potential launch of Starlink, which provides high-speed internet access to remote locations by low Earth orbit satellites, has been accompanied by fierce political debate in India.
Musk has butted heads with Asia’s richest man, Mukesh Ambani, over how the satellite spectrum should be awarded but also met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Washington last month.
Indian media reports also said last month Starlink’s licence application was nearing initial regulatory approval.
Airtel said on Tuesday its deal would be subject to SpaceX “receiving its own authorizations to sell Starlink in India”. “This is the first agreement to be signed in India,” the company said in a statement.
“Airtel and SpaceX will explore offering Starlink equipment in Airtel’s retail stores, Starlink services via Airtel to business customers, opportunities to connect communities, schools, and health centers, among many others, in even the most rural parts of India,” it said.
SpaceX chief operating officer Gwynne Shotwell said in the same statement the company was “excited” to work with Airtel “… and unlock the transformative impact Starlink can bring to the people of India”.
Musk’s current business interest in India is limited to social media platform X, although electric vehicle maker Tesla is preparing to start selling its cars in the world’s fifth-largest economy. (Int’l Monitoring Desk)
