- Title: Musk's Starlink and India's Reliance sign surprise satellite internet deal
- Date: 12th March 2025
- Summary: KYIV, UKRAINE (MARCH 12, 2025) (UKRAINIAN POOL) UKRAINIAN POOL NEWS BULLETIN INTRO / AUDIO OF NEWS TUNE (SOUNDBITE) (Ukrainian) NEWS ANCHOR, SAYING: "Renewal of military aid, sharing of intelligence and a ceasefire for 30 days. In Saudi Arabia, talks between U.S. and Ukrainian delegations have ended. They have indicated a reboot of relations after the conflict in the White
- Embargoed:
- Keywords: Bharti Airtel Elon Musk India Jio Mukesh Ambani Narendra Modi Reliance SpaceX Starlink US broadband services internet satellite surprise deal telecom visit
- Location: WASHINGTON DC, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA/MUMBAI, MAHARASHTRA/NEW DELHI, INDIA
- City: WASHINGTON DC, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA/MUMBAI, MAHARASHTRA/NEW DELHI, INDIA
- Country: Various
- Topics: Company News Markets,Economic Events
- Reuters ID: LVA004LZWGHFZ
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Jio signed a deal with Elon Musk's SpaceX to bring Starlink satellite internet services to India, a surprise move from the billionaires after being at odds for months over how the country should grant them spectrum.
India's largest telecom operator will stock Starlink equipment in its retail stores, giving Starlink a direct distribution point in thousands of such outlets across the country.
Musk and Ambani had fought intensely over how airwaves should be assigned for satellite internet, with New Delhi finally siding with the allocation approach the U.S. billionaire lobbied for.
Ambani's Reliance had been concerned that Musk could dominate the telecom space once he launched his products, but the distribution deal will eventually see the Indian billionaire offering his rival's products in the fast-growing market, while also competing with them.
The Reliance deal follows a similar partnership announcement between Starlink and India's No. 2 telecom player Bharti Airtel a day before. Both the Airtel and Jio deals are conditional upon Starlink obtaining government approval to begin operations in the country.
The agreements come weeks after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Musk in Washington, where they discussed issues including space, mobility, technology and innovation.
Starlink has been waiting since 2022 for licenses to operate commercially in India, with no clear timeline yet on a decision. It has been delayed for reasons including national security concerns.
Jio Platforms, which runs Reliance Jio, will also provide installation and activation support for the Starlink devices.
The stakes are high for Musk in India, where he also recently signed a deal for the first Tesla showroom to sell its imported electric cars. - Copyright Holder: ANI (India)
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