Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk could soon take on Mukesh Ambani and Sunil Mittal in the space turf

Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk could soon be competing against Mukesh Ambani and Sunil Bharti Mittal as the race to offer satellite-based broadband service to consumers heats up.

Both Musk-led Starlink and Amazon have held consultations with telecom ministry and department of space for offering satellite-based internet services, a Times of India report quoted sources as saying.

However, they haven't yet approached the government for a licence.


Starlink roped in Sanjay Bhargava to head the operations in India.

Bhargava joins SpaceX as Starlink’s country director (India), effective October 1, 2021. The Musk-led US aerospace company gears up to compete with Bharti group-backed OneWeb and others and launch fast satellite broadband services in India next year.

OneWeb is backed by Sunil Mittal-led Bharti Group along with the UK government.

Amazon is invested in satellite-based broadband connectivity through its Project Kuiper.

Satellite-based broadband services are faster and can be offered over a vast swathe through low-earth orbit or LEO satellites. This will be a game changer for India as it will help in boosting connectivity to difficult terrains like mountainous and hilly regions.

Recently, Musk had said about his India plans: "Just figuring out the regulatory approval process."

For Amazon, which is locked in a tough contest with Reliance and Tata to corner a sizable share of India's retail pie, the satellite-based broadband services will help the ecommerce giant to cement its retail presence.