India’s telecom tycoons Mukesh Ambani and Sunil Mittal have struck separate deals to bring Elon Musk’s Starlink to the world’s most populous nation, deepening alliances between New Delhi, Washington and the politically connected businessmen.
On Wednesday Ambani’s Reliance Jio, India’s biggest mobile operator, followed Mittal’s Bharti Airtel, the number-two player, in going public with plans to collaborate and distribute SpaceX’s satellite internet service. The tie-ups could further smooth the entry of Musk’s wider business interests, including Tesla, into India.
Neil Shah, co-founder at technology consultancy Counterpoint Research, called the agreements “a win-win for everyone”, with Starlink’s market-leading service avoiding a damaging clash with the “Indian behemoths”.