Our Bureau
New Delhi
Airtel has signed an agreement with Elon Musk-owned SpaceX to bring Starlink’s high-speed internet services to its customers in India, the telecom operator informed stock exchanges in a filing on Tuesday.
Satellite telecom in India will help the country provide much-needed services to remote interior places where conventional telecom services tend to be costly.
The Bharti Airtel informed stock exchanges that this is the first agreement to be signed in India, which is subject to SpaceX receiving its own authorisations to sell Starlink in India.
This agreement 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.
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 centres, among many others, in even the most rural parts of India.
The stock filing added Airtel and SpaceX will also explore how Starlink could help expand and enhance the Airtel network, as well as SpaceX’s ability to utilise and benefit from Airtel’s ground network infrastructure and other capabilities in India.
By adding Starlink, (in addition to its existing alliance with Eutelsat OneWeb) to its offerings, Airtel said it will further its ability to offer nationwide connectivity and connect previously underserved areas, particularly those with limited to no coverage today.
With Starlink enterprise suite, Airtel will be able to offer enterprises, businesses, and communities comprehensive and seamless connectivity packages.
“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.
“This collaboration enhances our ability to bring world-class high-speed broadband to even the most remote parts of India, ensuring that every individual, business, and community has reliable internet. Starlink will complement and enhance Airtel’s suite of products to ensure reliable and affordable broadband for our Indian customers – wherever they live and work.”
“Technology is always evolving and we’re committed to staying at the forefront of innovation so that we can continue to bring the best connectivity experience for our customers. This includes collaborating with global leaders like SpaceX to extend our reach and add new coverage to customers throughout all of India.”
“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 organisations do when they are connected via Starlink,” said Gwynne Shotwell, President and Chief Operating Officer of SpaceX. “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.”
Headquartered in India, Airtel is a global communications solutions provider with over 550 million customers in 15 countries across India and Africa. The company also has its presence in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka though its associate entities.
Starlink, which uses satellite constellation in a low Earth orbit, delivers high-speed, low-latency internet to users all over the world.
