Airtel, SpaceX join hands: How will Indians be able to log on to Musk’s Starlink internet services?

Bharti Airtel said on Tuesday it had signed a deal with Elon Musk's SpaceX for the highly anticipated launch of Starlink satellite internet in India. SpaceX's Starlink has long wanted to launch in India and has in recent months clashed with billionaire Mukesh Ambani's company over how the country should grant spectrum for satellite services. The central government has sided with Musk that spectrum should be assigned and not auctioned, but Starlink's license application is still under review.


The deal was subject to SpaceX receiving its own authorizations to sell Starlink in India, Airtel said.


The announcement comes weeks after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Elon Musk in Washington where they discussed issues including space, mobility, technology and innovation.

ALSO READ: Airtel, Elon Musk's SpaceX join forces to beam Starlink’s super-fast internet to India

Starlink equipment availability:

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 centers, among many others, in even the most rural parts of India.

Airtel and SpaceX will also explore how Starlink could help expand and enhance the Airtel network, as well as SpaceX’s ability to utilize and benefit from Airtel’s ground network infrastructure and other capabilities in India.

Telecom giants, Trai clash over spectrum pricing

In November 2024, a heated verbal clash broke out during a crucial meeting between global satellite giants Elon Musk’s Starlink, Jeff Bezos-owned Amazon Kuiper, and India’s top three telecom operators. The discussion focused on the satellite spectrum pricing mechanism and other related matters, as reported by ET.

Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea pushed for a level playing field, citing various instances where they felt disadvantaged. In response, Starlink rejected their demands, even suggesting that if 5G mobile spectrum could be shared among telecom operators, it should also be allocated administratively, without the need for an auction.

The report further noted that the intense open house session, hosted by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai), stretched over six hours, with more than 210 stakeholders in attendance. However, it was Starlink and the Indian telecom trio—Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea—that dominated the discussion.

Ahead of Starlink spectrum allocation

Following the discussions, Indian telecom giants Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel called on the government to ensure a level playing field in the satellite communications sector as it prepared to decide on the license and spectrum allocation for Elon Musk’s Starlink, according to a report by ToI in February, 2025.

The companies pushed for “comparable” spectrum pricing for satellite operators, warning that discrepancies could lead to “market distortions.”

In a petition to the government, the telecom firms accused the Trai of overlooking the competitive imbalance between satellite and terrestrial spectrum allocation. The petition emphasized that “comparable spectrum pricing to terrestrial services” should be enforced for satellite services in urban, semi-urban, and rural areas, covering both retail and enterprise customers. The companies argued that satellite operators offering similar services should adhere to the same pricing structures, regulatory levies, and fees as terrestrial telecom providers.

The new telecom law, passed in December 2023, permits satellite spectrum to be assigned administratively for a fee, unlike terrestrial spectrum, which is typically auctioned. However, the final details of pricing and allocation are still under deliberation by Trai.