Airtel, Jio Partner with Elon Musk's Starlink
With the partnerships, India is set to become a key market for Starlink, and the move is expected to boost internet adoption in the country, particularly in rural and remote areas, with prices predicted to be around 3,000 rupees per month.
India's leading telecom operators, Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio, have signed deals with Elon Musk's SpaceX to bring high-speed satellite internet services to the country through Starlink, a move that is expected to boost internet adoption in remote areas.
The partnership between Jio and Starlink will see Jio offer Starlink equipment in its retail outlets and provide customer service, installation, and activation support. Airtel is also exploring a similar arrangement. The deals come after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Elon Musk in Washington and follow the government's announcement that spectrum would be allocated administratively, a move that Musk had advocated for.
The move is seen as a surprise, given Musk's recent public clashes with both Jio and Airtel. However, analysts believe that the partnerships are a result of the Indian government's policy not favoring the two companies, and that they are trying to change their strategy to cooperate with Musk. The partnerships aim to expand satellite internet coverage across India, including rural and remote regions, and are conditional upon SpaceX obtaining Indian government approval.
The pricing of the services will be a key point for consumers, with analysts predicting that prices could come down to around 3,000 rupees per month. The partnerships are also seen as a way for Starlink to comply with India's data localization laws and to gain economies of scale in the country's massive market.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has welcomed the move, saying that Starlink will be useful for railway projects in remote areas. The development is expected to have a significant impact on India's telecom sector and could potentially disrupt the existing market dynamics.
