(Reuters) -India’s 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 the world’s most populous country.
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. India’s 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.
SpaceX and Airtel will collaborate to offer Starlink equipment and services to business customers, while also providing connections to schools, health centers, and remote areas, the Indian telecom firm said in a statement on Tuesday.
The companies will also explore ways for Starlink to help expand and enhance the Airtel network, it added, while SpaceX will likely utilize Airtel’s ground network infrastructure and other capabilities in the country.
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.
(Reporting by Indranil Sarkar and Kashish Tandon in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta and Devika Syamnath)
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