Last month, T-Mobile and SpaceX’s Starlink announced their partnership and introduced the T-Mobile Starlink service for everyone in the US, including several Galaxy device owners. Now, India’s largest telecom providers, Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio, have announced that they are working with Starlink to offer satellite internet services in India. This partnership should bring Starlink’s internet service to many Samsung Galaxy users in the country.
Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio announce Starlink partnerships in India
Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio each announced agreements with SpaceX to bring Starlink’s high-speed internet services to their customers in India. As a result, millions of people in the country will soon get access to satellite services. Both companies will sell Starlink equipment through their retail stores, providing Starlink with a direct distribution network across thousands of outlets in India.
Notably, the announcement came just weeks after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Elon Musk in Washington to discuss topics like technology, space, mobility, and innovation.
Regarding the partnership with Bharti Airtel, Gwynne Shotwell, President and Chief Operating Officer of SpaceX, said, “We are excited to work with Airtel and unlock the transformative impact Starlink can bring to the people of India. We are constantly amazed by the incredible and inspiring things that people, businesses, and organizations do when they are connected via Starlink. The team at Airtel has played a pivotal role in India’s telecom story, so working with them to complement our direct offering makes great sense for our business.”
And commenting on the partnership with Reliance Jio, Shotwell said, “We applaud Jio’s commitment to advancing India’s connectivity. We are looking forward to working with Jio and receiving authorization from the Government of India to provide more people, organizations, and businesses with access to Starlink’s high-speed internet services.”
Starlink partnership will improve internet coverage
Bharti Airtel says that Starlink services will provide opportunities to connect communities, schools, health centers, and more, even in the most rural parts of India. Reliance Jio says that with Starlink, the company will offer reliable internet that is fully accessible to all enterprises, small and medium businesses, and communities across India.
Interestingly, both telecom providers are also working on their own satellite-based broadband services. Back in 2023, Reliance Jio announced India’s first satellite-based internet service, JioSpaceFiber. Bharti Airtel is leveraging Eutelsat OneWeb for satellite internet services. Now, their partnership with Starlink will further enhance their internet coverage.
