Starlink, Amazon’s Project Kuiper Tie Up with Satcom Equipment Makers Ahead of India Launch

Ahead of the expected satellite broadband spectrum allocation by the Indian government, Elon Musk’s Starlink and Jeff Bezos-backed Amazon Project Kuiper have reportedly signed agreements with Indian Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) players. The companies aim to monetise the full potential of their services once the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) begins allocating satellite spectrum.

According to Moneycontrol, Starlink and Amazon Kuiper are actively forming partnerships in India to tap into the B2B and B2G satellite broadband markets, while also preparing to serve retail users. Both are adopting hybrid go-to-market strategies—selling directly and through partners.

Very Small Aperture Terminals (VSATs) provide satellite internet connectivity for powering ATMs, connecting remote bank branches, enabling telecom backhaul, supporting defence networks, and linking oil rigs and retail outlets in areas without reliable terrestrial networks.

Starlink has already partnered with Jio and Airtel and plans to offer direct consumer connections via its website. Kuiper is expected to follow a similar approach, the report said.

They will compete with Airtel-backed Eutelsat OneWeb, which is using an exclusive partner model. Key Indian VSAT players like Hughes Communications, Nelco, and Inmarsat are expected to support the rollout, especially in sectors such as banking, retail, oil and gas, defence, and telecom backhaul. Hughes India’s CEO confirmed the company is in discussions with all LEO satellite providers and will be a key partner in enterprise and government segments.

Bharti Airtel and Hughes Communications India formed a joint venture in January 2022 called Hughes Communications India Pvt Ltd (HCIPL), merging their VSAT operations. The JV operates over 200,000 VSAT terminals, making it India’s largest satellite services provider, serving enterprise, government, telecom-backhaul, maritime, education, and banking sectors. Airtel holds a 33% stake, while Hughes retains 67%.

Regulatory Hurdles Remain

Meanwhile, last month it was reported that Starlink received a Global Mobile Personal Communications by Satellite (GMPCS) licence, becoming the third company authorised to offer commercial satcom services in India. It joins Airtel-backed Eutelsat OneWeb and Reliance’s Jio Satellite in terms of regulatory progress.

However, Elon Musk’s company is still awaiting authorisation from IN-SPACe, India’s space regulator, which has reportedly issued a draft agreement to Starlink, expected to be signed soon. Amazon Kuiper is still awaiting clearances from both GMPCS and IN-SPACe.