Jio and Airtel announces about the agreement with Elon Musk’s SpaceX to bring Starlink, a high-speed internet service in India. Airtel make the announcement on March 11. While after Airtel announcement on March 12, morning Jio also announced about the partner with SpaceX.
Airtel and Jio Partnership with SpaceX
Airtel and Jio both are planning to bring Starlink, a high speed internet service of SpaceX to India. In the statement of Airtel they stated, “This is the first agreement to be signed in India, which is subject to SpaceX receiving its own authorizations to sell Starlink in India. It enables Airtel and SpaceX to further explore how Starlink can complement and expand Airtel’s offerings, and how Airtel’s expertise in the Indian market complements SpaceX’s direct offerings to consumers and businesses.”
They also added, “Airtel and SpaceX will explore offering Starlink equipment in Airtel’s retail stores, Starlink services via Airtel to business customers, opportunities to connect communities, schools, and health centers, among many others, in even the most rural parts of India. Airtel and SpaceX will also explore how Starlink could help expand and enhance the Airtel network, as well as SpaceX’s ability to utilize and benefit from Airtel’s ground network infrastructure and other capabilities in India.”
“Working with SpaceX to offer Starlink to Airtel customers in India is a significant milestone and further demonstrates our commitment to next-generation satellite connectivity,”said Gopal Vittal, Managing Director and Vice Chairman, Bharti Airtel Ltd.
Jio Stated in press release, “Through this agreement, the parties will leverage Jio’s position as the world’s largest mobile operator in terms of data traffic and Starlink’s position as the world’s leading low Earth orbit satellite constellation operator to deliver reliable broadband services across the country, including the most rural and remote regions of India. Jio will not only offer Starlink equipment in its retail outlets but will establish a mechanism to support customer service installation and activation.”
Impact on internet in India
Airtel and Jio’s partnerships with SpaceX will show rising competition in India’s satellite broadband market. Both companies want to bring high-speed internet to remote areas.
Airtel already works with Eutelsat OneWeb for satellite internet, and teaming up with Starlink will strengthen its coverage. Jio, which manages the most mobile data traffic in India, can use the Starlink deal to improve broadband access and reliability.
