Airtel signs deal with Elon Musk's SpaceX to bring Starlink to India

Airtel will distribute Starlink's equipment at its retail stores, sell Starlink services to business customers

Sunil Mittal-led telecom major Bharti Airtel on Tuesday announced a partnership with Elon Musk’s SpaceX to offer Starlink’s high-speed satellite internet services to Airtel customers in India. The deal, which is subject to regulatory approval for Starlink’s operations in the country, sets the stage for intensified competition with Mukesh Ambani-owned Jio Space Technology Ltd.

  Under the deal, Airtel will provide Starlink equipment through its retail stores and offer Starlink services to business customers. 

Both companies will also explore opportunities to connect underserved communities, schools, and health care centres in India’s rural areas, Airtel said in a statement.  

 

Airtel inks pact to offer Starlink’s equipment at retail stores

 

 

“Airtel and SpaceX will also explore how Starlink could help expand and enhance the Airtel network, as well as SpaceX’s ability to utilise and benefit from Airtel’s ground network infrastructure and other capabilities in India,” the company said in a release.

Starlink currently provides satellite communication services in over 100 countries through a constellation of more than 7,000 Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites operated by SpaceX, the US-based space technology company owned by Elon Musk.

  “This is a purely business decision to market Starlink products. Satellite communications represents a major opportunity, and we will showcase the offerings of both Starlink and OneWeb at our retail stores, subject to all necessary approvals,” an Airtel official said under conditions of anonymity.

  With a 21.2 per cent share, Bharti Enterprises has been the largest shareholder in satellite operator Eutelsat OneWeb since 2023.

  Starlink had applied for a global mobile personal communication by satellite (GMPCS) services licence in November 2022 and opened pre-booking channels in India in 2021. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has already granted Eutelsat OneWeb and Reliance Jio's satellite arm Jio Space Limited the GMPCS licence needed to offer satellite-based broadband services in India.  Read: After Airtel, Reliance Jio inks pact with SpaceX for Starlink internet

 

Changing stance

  Until recently, Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio had opposed foreign satellite communication providers, such as Starlink and Amazon’s Project Kuiper, entering the Indian market to serve key business segments.

  Last year, Bharti Enterprises Chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal had called on the government to ensure that all satcom providers abide by the same legal conditions as traditional telecom operators, including paying licence fees and buying spectrum. Meanwhile, Reliance Jio has urged Trai to ensure a level playing field between satellite and terrestrial services.

  But at the recently concluded Mobile World Congress, Mittal had called for telecom operators to partner with satcom providers.  “This is no time to fight,” Mittal had said, referring to terrestrial and satellite operators competing for access to a large untapped market. Arguing that competition should be on brands and services, and not on building solo capital infrastructure, he had stressed the need of the hour was to “share, share, share”. 

 

Road to licence 

Starlink’s GMPCS application process has dragged on due to the lengthy list of exemptions it has sought from certain provisions, citing technical limitations to operate in India.

  A key concern has been the company’s inability to comply with mandatory ownership disclosure norms introduced by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade. These rules mandate that foreign investing entities disclose the details of their owners, investors, and shareholders to clarify whether they involve individuals or entities from countries sharing a land border with India. This move aims to block attempts by China to entrench itself in India’s corporate and technological ecosystems.

  According to GMPCS rules, the licensee must use satellites only for authorised services over Indian territory, excluding activities that could compromise national sovereignty and security, such as surveillance or electronic warfare.

  The licensee will also be required to create a buffer zone along international borders where services are prohibited, with the specific width determined by the Indian government. Additionally, the licensee must provide call data records to security agencies upon request.