NEW DELHI: Information and technology minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Wednesday posted a “welcome to India” message on social media for Elon Musk‘s Starlink.
“Starlink, welcome to India! Will be useful for remote area railway projects,” the minister said in a post on X.
The welcome message comes after Mukesh Ambani’s Jio Platforms and Sunil Bharti Mittal’s Bharti Airtel signed partnership deals with Musk’s SpaceX to bring Starlink’s broadband internet services to India.
Over the past few months, telecom rivals Jio and Airtel had aligned in calling for an auction to allocate spectrum for satellite services in India, fearing that an administrative allocation would allow Elon Musk’s Starlink to secure airwaves at a significantly lower cost than what they previously paid through auctions.
On Wednesday, Jio Platforms — Reliance Industries Ltd’s digital and telecom arm — confirmed an agreement with SpaceX to offer Starlink’s broadband services in India. However, the partnership remains subject to SpaceX obtaining regulatory approvals to operate in the country.
As part of the deal, Jio will distribute Starlink equipment via retail stores and online platforms while also supporting customer installation and activation. The two companies will further explore synergies to enhance each other’s offerings.
Bringing high-speed internet to rural India
The joint statement emphasised the collaboration’s potential to bridge India’s digital divide by leveraging Jio’s extensive mobile network and Starlink’s Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite technology to provide high-speed broadband to even the most remote parts of the country.
This move comes just a day after Bharti Airtel announced a non-exclusive partnership with SpaceX to introduce Starlink’s services in India. Airtel already has an existing satellite broadband venture with Eutelsat OneWeb, the second-largest LEO constellation.
Similarly, Jio operates a joint venture with SES, a global satellite communications provider. Jio Space Technology Limited, where Jio holds a 51% stake, plans to utilize a mix of Geostationary (GEO) and Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) satellites to offer multi-gigabit connectivity for enterprises, mobile backhaul, and retail customers across India and neighboring regions.
Currently, Starlink operates over 6,000 LEO satellites, while Amazon’s Kuiper project is preparing to launch 3,236 satellites starting in 2025.
In October 2023, the Indian government sided with Musk on the issue of spectrum allocation, favoring a pre-determined administrative route instead of an auction. Jio and Airtel, India’s two largest telecom providers, had opposed this move, arguing that lower entry costs for Starlink could erode their market share.
Commenting on these partnerships, Bharti Enterprises Chairman Sunil Mittal emphasised the need for greater collaboration between telecom and satellite providers.
“Just as the industry adapted to 4G, 5G, and the upcoming 6G, we must now integrate SAT-G technology, allowing customers to access seamless connectivity across land, air, and sea,” Mittal stated.
SpaceX’s President & COO, Gwynne Shotwell, also welcomed the partnership with Jio, adding, “We look forward to working with Jio and securing the necessary authorizations to provide Starlink’s high-speed internet services in India.”
With Starlink, Jio and Airtel aim to expand broadband access to underserved areas, accelerating India’s push for nationwide digital inclusion.