March 12 (Reuters) – Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Jio said it has 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 several months over how the country should grant them spectrum.
The deal follows a similar partnership between Starlink and No. 2 telecom player Bharti Airtel announced for the India market a day before.
Both 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 Elon Musk in Washington, where they discussed issues including space, mobility, technology and innovation.
Under the deal announced on Wednesday, Jio Platforms, India’s largest telecom operator, will offer Starlink equipment in its retail outlets and online stores, and will provide installation support for the devices.
“Jio and SpaceX are also evaluating other complementary areas of cooperation to leverage their respective infrastructure,” Reliance said in a statement, without elaborating.
Jio Platforms, which already operates a satellite internet joint venture with Luxembourg-based SES, has secured approvals from India’s space regulator to launch commercial satellite broadband services in the country.
While the Starlink application remains under consideration, Ambani’s Reliance and Musk have clashed over how the country should grant spectrum for satellite services.
Reliance had urged an auction but the Indian government sided with Musk, who wanted it to be allocated administratively, in line with global trends.
Ambani had lobbied New Delhi that he wanted a level playing field. His executives have been worried that his telecom company, which spent $19 billion in airwave auctions, risks losing broadband customers to Starlink and potentially data and voice clients as technology advances.
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