Starlink Partners with Airtel to Launch Satellite Internet in India

After a long wait, Elon Musk's internet service via satellite, Starlink, is all set to launch in India. Its parent company SpaceX has partnered with Airtel to make this happen. Under the agreement, subject to SpaceX obtaining permissions to be allowed to sell Starlink services in India, customers can purchase Starlink equipment through the retail outlets of Airtel and install the same for satellite-based high-speed internet in remote and out-of-the-way areas of the country.

SpaceX has waited for months to enter India owing to extremely strict regulatory measures put in place by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India that were supported by India's leading telecommunication companies. Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani urged the government to auction satellite spectrum instead of allocation, which was backed up by Bharti Airtel's Sunil Bharti Mittal. Musk mentioned the international consent for satellite spectrum allocation against this.

“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.

Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, siding with Musk, said the government would follow universal norms of spectrum allocation. This put a huge question mark on Ambani and Mittal's opinions. The partnership between SpaceX and Airtel would allow Musk's high-speed Internet services to enter unlegged territories of the Indian market, and additionally diversify Airtel's portfolio since it already includes Eutelsat OneWeb as another satellite internet service.