New Delhi:
In a sign that Elon Musk’s Starlink is set to enter India soon, Union Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has posted a welcome message for the company on social media.
Both Airtel and Jio, which are India’s largest telecom operators, have signed deals with Starlink to offer its satellite-based broadband internet services, but the agreements are contingent on Mr Musk’s company getting authorisation from the Centre to operate in the country.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Mr Vaishnaw, who is also the railway minister, wrote, “Starlink, welcome to India! Will be useful for remote area railway projects.”
Starlink, welcome to India!
Will be useful for remote area railway projects. pic.twitter.com/rQPmjeKkGt
— Ashwini Vaishnaw (@AshwiniVaishnaw) March 12, 2025
On Tuesday, Airtel announced that it had signed an agreement with Elon Musk’s SpaceX to bring Starlink’s services to India, adding that it would provide an opportunity to connect communities, schools, health centres and other institutions in even the most remote rural corners of India.
“Working with SpaceX to offer Starlink to Airtel customers in India is a significant milestone and further demonstrates our commitment to next-generation satellite connectivity,” said Gopal Vittal, Managing Director and Vice Chairman, Bharti Airtel Ltd.
Sunil Bharti Mittal, Founder and Chairman, Bharti Enterprises, said, “Just like 4G, 5G, and 6G in the future, we will now have one more technology in our mix, i.e. SAT-G.”
