TL; DR
- Jio’s announcement comes on March 12, 2025, one day (or rather a few hours) after Airtel declared its association with Elon Musk’s SpaceX to kickstart Startlink’s operations in India.
- Like Airtel, Jio will also utilize Starlink’s exceptional coverage to provide internet to “all enterprises, small and medium businesses, and communities across India.”
- Given that Jio has tested its own satellite internet service, JioSpaceFiber (in collaboration with SES), it is a bit surprising to see the company joining hands with Starlink.
In a dramatic turn of events, Jio Platforms Limited has also announced a partnership with SpaceX’s Starlink (satellite-based broadband service). In the official press release that went out earlier today, the biggest telecom operator in India announced that it is “advancing and diversifying its broadband service options to include Starlink connectivity” in India.
Jio And Starlink Will Work Together, Only If The Latter Gets The Required Approvals
Interestingly, Jio’s announcement comes on March 12, 2025, one day (or rather a few hours) after Airtel declared its association with Elon Musk’s SpaceX to kickstart Startlink’s operations in India. The terms of the agreement between Space and Jio are similar as well: it is subject to the former securing the required authorizations to sell satellite-based internet as a service in the country.
As part of the agreement, the companies will leverage each others’ expertise. While Jio is the largest mobile operator in India (and the largest in terms of global data traffic), Starlink is the leading LEO satellite constellation operator that delivers reliable broadband services, even in the most remote areas.
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Jio Will Help Starlink Establish Customer Service Installation
“Jio will make Starlink solutions available through its retail outlets as well as through its online storefronts,” mentions the official press release. While this was also the case with SapceX’s collaboration with Airtel, Jio has also promised to “establish a mechanism to support customer service installation and activation” as a perk to Starlink.
Like Airtel, Jio will also utilize Starlink’s exceptional coverage to provide internet to “all enterprises, small and medium businesses, and communities across India.” Moreover, it looks like the Indian telecom operators are in a race to help Starlink start its operations in India, but it raises more questions than it answers.
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Starlinks Foray Could Boost Satellite Connectivity, But We Have A Few Questions
Given that Jio has tested its own satellite internet service, JioSpaceFiber (in collaboration with SES), it is a bit surprising to see the company joining hands with Starlink, especially since the company (along with Airtel) opposed an administrative allocation of the satellite broadband spectrum in favor or auction-based allocation.
- Will satellite-based broadband be available for regular users or only for businesses?
- How will the cost of satellite broadband be compared to traditional internet services?
- Will Airtel and Jio utilize Starlink to strengthen their own network and provide satellite-based coverage as part of their services?
What’s clear, however, is that SpaceX still has to receive the required regulatory clearance to start its operations in India, and Airtel and Jio could help the company with it.
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