Airtel ties up with SpaceX to bring Starlink internet to India

New Delhi: Airtel announced on Tuesday that it has partnered with Elon Musk’s SpaceX to bring Starlink’s high-speed internet services to its customers in India.

This is the first agreement to be signed in India, which is subject to SpaceX receiving its own authorisations to sell Starlink in the country.

Airtel and SpaceX will collaborate to expand Starlink's reach in India, exploring opportunities such as retailing Starlink equipment in Airtel stores, offering Starlink services to business customers, and connecting rural communities, schools, and healthcare centres, and even the most remote areas of the country.

As part of their partnership, Airtel and SpaceX will explore opportunities for Starlink to augment and strengthen Airtel's existing network, while also exploring how SpaceX can utilise Airtel's extensive ground infrastructure and other capabilities in India to enhance its own operations.

“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.

“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,” he added.

Vittal stated that the integration of Starlink with Airtel's services will enable the company to offer its Indian customers fast, reliable, and affordable broadband connectivity, accessible from anywhere, whether at home or at work.

The addition of Starlink to Airtel's services, alongside its existing collaboration with OneWeb, will strengthen the company's efforts to achieve nationwide connectivity, extending reliable coverage to previously underserved regions and addressing the digital divide in India's most remote and hard-to-reach areas.

It will enable Airtel to provide enterprises, businesses, and communities with integrated and seamless connectivity solutions through the Starlink enterprise suite.

“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,” Shotwell added.

As the world's first and largest low-Earth orbit satellite constellation, Starlink provides global coverage, delivering fast, reliable, and low-latency internet connectivity that supports a wide range of online activities, including seamless streaming, online gaming, and high-quality video calls.

(inputs from IANS)