SpaceX chief engineer Elon Musk talked about the Starlink project at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in June 2021.
Joan Cros/Nurphoto by Getty Images
Bharti Airtel, controlled by Indian billionaire Sunil Mittal, agreed to bring Elon Musk's Starlink Internet service to India and promised to gain online access to the world's most populous country.
According to a release by Airtel on Tuesday, the company claimed the deal was Starlink's first in India, which was licensed by SpaceX, which sells Starlink Services' license in the country.
“This collaboration enhances our ability to bring world-class high-speed broadband to the most remote parts of India to ensure reliable internet for everyone, business and community.” “Starlink will complement and enhance Airtel’s suite of products to ensure reliable and affordable broadband for our Indian customers, whether they live and work.”
The company plans to offer Starlink equipment at Airtel's retail stores and offers Starlink Services (also an existing partnership with Eutelsat Oneweb), providing areas with little or no coverage to businesses, schools, communities and health centers.
“The Airtel's team played a key role in the telecom story in India, so working with them to complement our direct products makes a lot of sense for our business,” said Gwynne Shotwell, President and COO of SpaceX.
Airtel serves more than 550 million customers in South Asia and Africa, competing with Reliance Jio Infocomm, the wealthiest man in India, Mukesh Ambani and Vodafone’s Ideas, and is led by billionaire Kumar Birla. In February, a company with a link to Mittal sold Airtel shares worth Rs 84.9 billion (US$976 million) as telecom tycoons explore opportunities outside India.
Mittal and his family finished seventh with $30.7 billion in net worth Forbes Asia A list of 100 rich people in India published last October. In addition to Airtel, Mittal also owns Airtel Payments Bank, a joint venture with Kotak Mahindra Bank led by billionaire Uday Kotak.
