Bharti Airtel agreed a partnership with Elon Musk’s SpaceX to bring its Starlink satellite-based internet services to India, as the billionaire continues to make progress on long-term ambitions to gain a foothold in the nation.

Notably, the deal is still subject to SpaceX receiving regulatory approval to sell its services in the country.

In a statement, the pair explained they will look to sell Starlink equipment in Airtel retail stores, as well as provide services to the operator’s business customers. Longer-term, they will explore connectivity through Starlink across communities, in schools and health centres, even in the most rural parts of the country.

SpaceX will also work with Airtel to explore how Starlink can expand and enhance its network, and utlise and benefit from Airtel’s ground network infrastructure and capabilities in India.

Airtel already has a partnership in place around space-based connectivity with Eutelsat Oneweb. The company said its agreement with Starlink would be added to this offering.

Partner with satcos
Airtel’s agreement comes after the company’s chair Sunil Mittal last week called on governments and regulators to allow for more consolidation and provide incentives for mobile operators to invest in new infrastructure and pave the path forward for partnerships with satellite operators.

Speaking at MWC25 Barcelona, Mittal said satellite services would be key to filling coverage gaps and providing services to 400 million people that remain unconnected.

Musk has been pushing to bring his Starlink service to India and was tipped to receive approval last month. He has also faced-off with Airtel rival Reliance Industries’ chief Mukesh Ambani over spectrum allocation for satellite services.

Gopal Vittal, managing director and vice chair at Airtel, said the deal with SpaceX represented a significant move and “demonstrates our commitment to next-generation satellite connectivity”.