Elon Musk's Starlink To Finally Enter India In Partnership With Airtel

Elon Musk's satellite internet service Starlink will finally become legitimately available in India as parent company SpaceX has announced a partnership with Airtel. As part of the agreement, which is subject to SpaceX receiving authorisations to sell Starlink services in India, customers can buy Starlink gear from Airtel's retail stores and install it to receive satellite-based high-speed internet in remote and far-flung areas of the country.

“Working with SpaceX to offer Starlink to Airtel customers in India is a significant milestone and further demonstrates our commitment to next-generation satellite connectivity,” said Gopal Vittal, Managing Director and Vice Chairman of Bharti Airtel.

“We are excited to work with Airtel and unlock the transformative impact Starlink can bring to the people of India,” said Gwynne Shotwell, President and Chief Operating Officer of SpaceX.

Starlink has waited to enter India for months, facing stringent regulatory curbs from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and challenges from India's leading telecom operators. Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani urged the government to auction satellite spectrum instead of allocating it. He was joined by Bharti Airtel's Sunil Bharti Mittal against Musk's stance that highlighted the global agreements of spectrum allocation.

Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia sided with Musk, saying the government will follow the universal practice of allocating spectrum, dealing a huge blow to Ambani and Mittal. The partnership between SpaceX and Airtel will allow Elon Musk's high-speed internet services to tap India's uncharted market. At the same time, it also diversifies Airtel's kitty, which already includes Eutelsat OneWeb as another satellite internet provider.

Airtel and SpaceX have jointly said they will explore how Starlink “could help expand and enhance Airtel's network, as well as SpaceX's ability to utilise and benefit from Airtel's ground network infrastructure and other capabilities.”

The announcement comes days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Elon Musk in Washington during his visit to the US. They discussed issues including space, mobility, technology and innovation.

Read more: Ashwini Vaishnaw Announces AIKosha: What Is It, How Will It Accelerate India's AI Innovation?