Star (Link) Wars

India’s internet wars just got a satellite-powered upgrade, and it involves none other than Elon Musk. In back-to-back announcements, Jio and Airtel have both partnered with SpaceX’s Starlink, aiming to bring high-speed satellite internet to India.?

But there’s a catch—neither can move forward until Starlink gets approval from the Indian government.

By Mohit Pandey

Jio x Starlink: The Big Play

Jio confirmed that it is teaming up with SpaceX to explore ways in which Starlink can complement JioAirFiber and JioFiber. The idea is to use Musk’s satellite network to reach areas where traditional broadband struggles.

Mathew Oommen, group CEO of Jio Platforms, said the goal is to ensure “every Indian, no matter where they live, has access to affordable and high-speed broadband”.

Jio is going all-in on connectivity. Besides Starlink, it also collaborates with AMD, Cisco, and Nokia to build an AI-powered telecom platform. At MWC 2025, it showcased its partnerships with Samsung, Keysight Technologies, and Kyocera, pushing 5G and AI automation deeper into network operations.

Jio wants to be at the centre of India’s AI-driven telecom future. But Airtel’s not sitting quietly either.

In fact, Bharti Airtel announced its partnership with SpaceX a day before Jio. Gopal Vittal, MD and vice chairman, called it a "significant milestone" in Airtel’s push for next-gen satellite connectivity.

They plan to sell Starlink hardware via Airtel’s retail stores, offer satellite broadband to businesses, schools, and health centres in underserved areas, and?

leverage Airtel’s existing ground infrastructure to boost Starlink’s services.

Unlike Jio, Airtel is already deep into the satellite game. It’s been working with Eutelsat OneWeb, and now, adding Starlink will give it an edge in enterprise connectivity.

But for now, neither Jio nor Airtel has the upper hand because Starlink still needs regulatory approvals. Once cleared, both companies will race to roll out the most seamless satellite broadband experience.

Join 3,500+ developers, engineers, and architects at Current Bengaluru 2025 – India's biggest data streaming event.

We’re giving away 100 free passes on a first-come, first-served basis. Register Now to claim yours – Hurry!

AI Bytes

• Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei believes AI will do 90% of coding in less than 6 months. Read more here.?
• Salesforce plans to invest $1 billion in Singapore over the next five years.?
• Microsoft announced a project to enhance TypeScript performance by porting its compiler and language tools to Go.
• OpenAI has launched a set of APIs and tools to simplify the development of AI agents and autonomous systems.
• Meta has started testing its first in-house chip to train its AI systems.
• Binny Bansal, co-founder of Flipkart, has launched Opptra, a new business to help consumer brands expand into Asia.

Your Invite to bp’s Digital Core Discovery Summit: Energy Meets Innovation

Here’s your chance to learn and network with industry experts from bp, Microsoft, AWS & Salesforce to gain first-hand knowledge and practical insights on the technologies shaping the future of energy. Limited spots available! Register here.