Vodafone Idea has joined the race to forge a partnership with billionaire Elon Musk’s SpaceX ahead of its entry in the Indian telecom sector. India’s third largest telecom giant is internally holding talks with Starlink to collaborate and offer high-speed satellite internet services, focusing mainly in rural and remote areas. This development comes just days after its competitors Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel announced partnerships with Elon Musk’s company.
“There are some internal discussions ongoing (on launching satellite internet services)...There are open questions like the cost of the devices and regulatory approvals on using satellite for terrestrial connectivity,” Vi’s chief technology officer Jagbir Singh told the Mint.
Vi isn’t just eyeing Starlink for partnership, the telecom giant is holding talks with Amazon’s Kuiper, which is also set to enter the Indian telecom market, for a collaboration. The move by Vi is likely to retain its position in the market and not to lose out subscribers to its two rivals.
Vi Takes Airtel, Jio’s Path
Indian telecom giants like Sunil Bharti Mittal-led Airtel and Mukesh Ambani-owned Jio have announced partnership with Musk’s Starlink, which is yet to receive government’s regulatory approvals. Airtel stated in a statement that it will offer its retail stores and huge consumer base to Starlink.
“This is the first agreement to be signed in India, which is subject to SpaceX receiving its authorisation to sell Starlink in India” said Bharti Airtel in a statement.
Just after Airtel announced its partnership, Jio also took the similar path and forged collaboration.
“Through this agreement, the parties will leverage Jio’s position as the world’s largest mobile operator in terms of data traffic and Starlink’s position as the world’s leading low earth orbit satellite constellation operator to deliver reliable broadband services across the country,” said Jio in a statement.
But these partnerships are subject to government approval. To operate in India, SpaceX will first require regulatory nod from the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) and the Department of Telecommunications (DoT). Presently, billionaire Musk-led company has not received any of these.
