India's Ambani strikes SpaceX deal for Starlink internet in India
MUMBAI: Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani's Jio Platforms announced on Wednesday that it has signed a deal with Elon Musk's SpaceX to offer Starlink satellite internet services to its customers.
The announcement follows a similar agreement signed by rival telecom operator Bharti Airtel the previous day and comes months after disputes between Musk's and Ambani's firms over the allocation of satellite spectrum.
The potential introduction of Starlink, which delivers high-speed internet to remote areas via low Earth orbit satellites, has sparked heated debates in India regarding issues such as predatory pricing and spectrum distribution. However, as the world’s most populous nation prepares to launch mass satellite broadband services, SpaceX and Indian telecom providers appear to be collaborating to encourage adoption.
Under the agreement, Jio will offer "Starlink equipment in its retail outlets" and provide support for "customer service installation and activation," according to a statement. It added that the partnership aims to utilise Jio's position as the world’s largest mobile operator by data traffic to deliver reliable broadband services across India, including rural and remote regions.
The agreement remains subject to SpaceX securing the necessary authorisations to market Starlink in India. Reports from Indian media last month suggested that Starlink's licence application was approaching initial regulatory approval.
Ambani’s telecom company is also pursuing separate satellite broadband initiatives. In 2022, Jio Platforms launched a joint venture with Luxembourg-based SES to deliver broadband services using a combination of geostationary and medium Earth orbit satellites.
The Jio-SpaceX deal coincides with Musk’s meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Washington last month. Currently, Musk's business interests in India are limited to social media platform X, but electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla is gearing up for entry into the world’s fifth-largest economy. Tesla began recruitment efforts in India last month, advertising positions such as store manager and service technicians in New Delhi and Mumbai.
By RSS/AFP
