(Photo Illustration by Avishek Das/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images))
SpaceX has reached a deal to sell Starlink dishes in India, one of the world's largest markets,
On Tuesday, India’s second-largest carrier, Bharti Airtel, announced the agreement, laying the groundwork for distributing Starlink throughout the country. This includes exploring selling Starlink equipment through Airtel’s retail stores, the carrier’s business channels, and schools and health centers in rural parts of India.
“Airtel and SpaceX will also explore how Starlink could help expand and enhance the Airtel network, as well as SpaceX’s ability to utilize and benefit from Airtel’s ground network infrastructure and other capabilities in India," the carrier added.
The agreement could be a huge growth opportunity for Starlink. Earlier this month, the satellite internet system reached 5 million users across 125+ countries. In contrast, Airtel has over 352 million mobile subscribers and wants to double its fixed broadband user base to 90 million.
The deal with Airtel is conditioned on SpaceX receiving a license from the Indian government to operate Starlink, which seems likely. Last month, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, a major ally to President Trump.
Musk has long sought access to the Indian market. In 2021, SpaceX sold Starlink dish preorders to Indian users, but it was forced to cancel orders and issue refunds after an Indian regulator intervened. Since then, SpaceX has spent years pressuring officials for access.
Starlink's growth in the region might come at the expense of competitors. In Tuesday’s announcement, Airtel noted that it also has an “existing alliance” with Eutelsat OneWeb, which is trying to become an adequate replacement for Starlink in Ukraine.