India's Reliance joins with Musk's Starlink in surprise move

Reuters

Tue, Mar 11, 2025, 7:58 PM 2 min read

(Reuters) -Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Jio said it has signed a woody with Elon Musk's SpaceX to bring Starlink outer net services to India, a astonishment determination from the billionaires aft being astatine likelihood for respective months implicit however the state should assistance them spectrum.

The woody follows a akin concern betwixt Starlink and No. 2 telecom subordinate Bharti Airtel announced for the India marketplace a time before.

Both deals are conditional upon Starlink obtaining authorities support to statesman operations successful the country.

The agreements travel weeks aft Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Elon Musk successful Washington, wherever they discussed issues including space, mobility, exertion and innovation.

Under the woody announced connected Wednesday, Jio Platforms, India's largest telecom operator, volition connection Starlink instrumentality successful its retail outlets and online stores, and volition supply installation enactment for the devices.

"Jio and SpaceX are besides evaluating different complementary areas of practice to leverage their respective infrastructure," Reliance said successful a statement, without elaborating.

Jio Platforms, which already operates a outer net associated task with Luxembourg-based SES, has secured approvals from India's abstraction regulator to motorboat commercialized outer broadband services successful the country.

While the Starlink exertion remains nether consideration, Ambani's Reliance and Musk person clashed implicit however the state should assistance spectrum for outer services.

Reliance had urged an auction but the Indian authorities sided with Musk, who wanted it to beryllium allocated administratively, successful enactment with planetary trends.

Ambani had lobbied New Delhi that helium wanted a level playing field. His executives person been disquieted that his telecom company, which spent $19 cardinal successful airwave auctions, risks losing broadband customers to Starlink and perchance information and dependable clients arsenic exertion advances.

(Reporting by Munsif Vengattil successful Bengaluru; Additional reporting by Nandan Mandayam; Editing by Janane Venkatraman and Kim Coghill)