IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw Welcomes Starlink, Deletes Post Later

Union Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw briefly extended a welcome to Elon Musk’s Starlink on social media on Wednesday, only to delete the post an hour later. In his now-deleted message on X, Mr. Vaishnaw, who also serves as the Railway Minister, wrote, "Starlink, welcome to India! Will be useful for remote area railway projects."

The message comes amid significant developments as India’s two largest telecom operators, Airtel and Jio, announced agreements with Starlink to offer satellite-based broadband services. However, these deals remain contingent on regulatory approval from the Indian government.

Airtel and Jio Announce Starlink Partnerships

On Tuesday, Bharti Airtel confirmed its collaboration with Musk’s SpaceX to bring Starlink services to India. The company emphasized that the partnership would facilitate connectivity for schools, health centers, and remote rural areas.

"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 of Bharti Airtel Ltd.

Founder and Chairman of Bharti Enterprises, Sunil Bharti Mittal, highlighted the evolving telecom landscape, stating, "Just like 4G, 5G, and 6G in the future, we will now have one more technology in our mix, i.e. SAT-G."

Reliance Jio followed suit on Wednesday, announcing its own deal with Starlink. Mathew Oommen, CEO of Reliance Jio Group, described the partnership as a “transformative step toward seamless broadband connectivity for all.”

"By integrating Starlink into Jio's broadband ecosystem, we are expanding our reach and enhancing the reliability and accessibility of high-speed broadband in this AI-driven era, empowering communities and businesses across the country," Mr. Oommen added.

Awaiting Government Clearance

Despite these high-profile agreements, Starlink still requires authorisation from the Government of India to commence operations. Gwynne Shotwell, President and COO of SpaceX, expressed optimism, stating, "We applaud Jio's commitment to advancing India's connectivity. We look forward to working with Jio and receiving authorisation from the Government of India to provide Starlink's high-speed internet services."

Starlink has been eyeing the Indian market since 2022 but initially faced resistance from both Airtel and Jio. At the 2024 India Mobile Congress, Sunil Mittal had insisted that satellite companies, like telecom operators, should be required to purchase spectrum and pay license fees. Jio echoed this stance, prompting Elon Musk to call the demand for an auction-based approach 'unprecedented' and question whether regulatory hurdles made Starlink’s entry into India "too much trouble."