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Bharti Airtel Ltd. has signed a distribution agreement to market SpaceX’s Starlink services in India, a significant step for the satellite internet company. However, services won’t launch until Starlink secures approvals from the Department of Telecommunications and the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Airtel’s collaboration will explore selling Starlink equipment in its retail outlets, providing services to businesses, and connecting remote communities, educational institutions, and healthcare facilities. This agreement is not exclusive, as Airtel suggests more partnerships may follow.
Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd. has been cautious about the rapid rollout of Starlink, which uses satellites for high-speed internet access. Jio argues that companies like Starlink should bid for spectrum like terrestrial operators, while Airtel supports SpaceX’s view that shared spectrum should be allocated administratively. Airtel also plans to offer OneWeb services alongside Starlink. A recent discussion by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India featured a debate between Jio and SpaceX on this topic. Starlink has already set up equipment in India to manage local traffic.
(Newsroom staff only edited this story for style from a syndicated feed)
