Airtel, Starlink tie up, challenge Jio

Sunil Mittal-chaired Bharti Airtel Ltd has inked a pact with Elon Musk-backed Starlink to offer satellite internet services in India, raising the stakes in the battle with Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd.

- Shouvik Das

SpaceX-owned Starlink's service will be marketed in India through Airtel. However, in its exchange filing on Tuesday, Airtel did not indicate the launch—it is a pre-emptive agreement between the two companies.

Airtel already has a joint venture agreement with UK-based satellite operator OneWeb. While OneWeb's infrastructure will be used to offer connectivity to enterprises, Starlink will provide services to consumers directly, two senior executives aware of the development at Airtel said.

Dubbed a 'battle of the billionaires', the impending launch of satellite internet in India has continued for nearly two years. Reliance Jio has written to the Centre multiple times seeking spectrum auction-a format that was abolished with the passing of Telecommunications Act, 2023.