The agreement will see Airtel providing retail support for Starlink’s equipment and exploring ways to integrate the satellite broadband service into its services. However, the deal is subject to regulatory approval before Starlink can begin operations in the country.

Airtel confirmed the partnership on Tuesday, stating that both companies would explore ways to enhance network coverage using each other’s infrastructure. Specific details were not disclosed, but the telecom firm is also considering Starlink as an option for its business customers.

The development adds a new layer of competition to India’s telecom sector, where Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Jio has been at the top. Starlink’s entry has been contentious, with Jio advocating for satellite spectrum auctions instead of the administrative allocation that SpaceX prefers. 

The Indian government ultimately sided with Musk’s position, aligning with trends in satellite spectrum allocation globally. Analysts suggest that an auction-based approach would have required huge financial commitments, which could discourage international players.

Jio, which has invested $19 billion in acquiring spectrum, sees Starlink as a potential threat, especially in broadband services and possibly voice and data markets in the long term. Meanwhile, Airtel has taken a more flexible approach, already maintaining a similar distribution deal with Eutelsat’s OneWeb, where its parent company holds a stake.

Starlink has long been eyeing the Indian market but previously faced regulatory limitations. In 2022, the company had to refund preorders after authorities flagged it for accepting payments before obtaining a license. 

The new partnership shows a more structured approach, but final approvals from India’s Department of Telecommunications and space regulator IN-SPACe are still pending.

The timing of the deal is notable, coming just weeks after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with Elon Musk in Washington, where they discussed technological collaborations. 

With India pushing for better and wider connectivity, particularly in rural and underserved areas, Starlink’s satellite-based broadband could help in bridging the digital divide.

Starlink’s expansion into international markets has been aggressive. In Nigeria, the service has grown rapidly, becoming the second-largest internet service provider by subscriber count. Data from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) for Q4 2024 shows that Starlink now has 65,564 active subscribers, surpassing FiberOne’s 33,010. 

This growth stresses the growing demand for reliable internet, particularly in regions where traditional fibre-optic providers struggle with infrastructure limitations.

The Nigerian market has also ascertained how regulatory decisions impact Starlink’s operations. A recent attempt to raise subscription prices from ₦38,000 to ₦75,000 was halted due to intervention by the NCC, though approval for a price hike was later granted in February 2025. 

While telecom firms like MTN and Airtel Nigeria adjusted their prices accordingly, Starlink has yet to implement the new rates.

Despite its expansion, Starlink faces some challenges. Unlike mobile network operators, its service remains fixed to a single location, limiting its use for on-the-go connectivity. However, SpaceX has begun rolling out satellite-to-phone services in other regions to eliminate dead zones, and a future rollout in Africa remains a possibility.

In India, Starlink’s entry could change the broadband market, particularly if it secures regulatory clearance. “Starlink will complement and enhance Airtel’s suite of products to ensure reliable and affordable broadband for our Indian customers – wherever they live and work,” said Gopal Vittal, managing director and vice chairman of Bharti Airtel.

Gwynne Shotwell, president and chief operating officer of SpaceX, said: “We are excited to work with Airtel and unlock the transformative impact Starlink can bring to the people of India. We are constantly amazed by the incredible and inspiring things that people, businesses, and organizations do when they are connected via Starlink.”

This cutting-edge solution, the first of its kind in India, was built to enhance customer protection by identifying and flagging suspected spam in real-time. 

The service is automatically available to Airtel’s 387 million subscribers at no extra charge, ensuring widespread access without the need for customers to take any additional steps.

India and so many parts of the world have long faced a growing challenge of unsolicited communication, with many users receiving multiple unwanted calls and messages daily. 

A survey conducted by LocalCircles highlighted that 95% of Indians report receiving such calls regularly, with the majority experiencing three or more interruptions each day. Initiatives like the government’s “Do Not Disturb” registry have had limited success, with 90% of those enrolled still encountering spam.

Gopal Vittal, CEO and managing director of Bharti Airtel, stated that the company has worked intensively over the past year to develop a solid solution. Describing spam as a persistent nuisance, Vittal noted that the AI-driven system provides a dual-layer defence, filtering calls and messages both at the network and IT infrastructure levels. 

This approach allows the platform to handle an enormous volume of communication, processing 1.5 billion messages and 2.5 billion calls per day.

The AI technology behind this system uses a proprietary algorithm that assesses various parameters, including call frequency and duration, and usage patterns, to flag potential spam in real-time. 

Airtel claims the AI system identifies approximately 100 million suspected spam calls and three million spam messages daily. Additionally, it scans SMS content for potentially dangerous links, preventing users from inadvertently engaging in fraudulent or phishing schemes. 

The AI also monitors for unusual behaviour, such as frequent changes in device IMEI numbers, which may indicate suspicious activity.

With telephonic scams evolving continually, and fraudsters impersonating government officials as well as service providers, this initiative from Airtel aims to greatly reduce the threats faced by its users. 

The AI-powered spam detection system will reduce the annoyance of constant spam and also add a good layer of protection against malicious actors in the digital industry.

This collaboration is expected to enhance the user base for Apple’s streaming services, Apple TV+ and Apple Music, in a region where the company’s media offerings have lagged behind competitors such as Spotify and Disney.

India, where Apple has predominantly focused on manufacturing to diversify its supply chain, now appears to be a focal point for the tech giant’s content and services strategy. 

Through the integration of its music and video streaming services into Airtel’s offerings, Apple aims to tap into a wide customer base that has so far been elusive. 

Bharti Airtel has 281 million subscribers, a large audience that could provide a much-needed boost to Apple’s growth in the region.

Industry analysts view this move as an important step for Apple in India. Nitesh Kripalani, former head of Amazon Prime Video in India, spoke on Apple’s strategic pivot, noting that the company is employing a tried-and-tested approach to penetrate key markets. 

In offering its services at no additional cost to Airtel’s premium users, Apple is expected to gain a stronger foothold in India’s competitive digital content industry.

While Apple has seen some success in expanding its smartphone market share in India — from 2% in 2019 to 6% today — its streaming services have yet to make a significant impact. 

The partnership with Airtel could help bridge this gap, especially as it aligns with similar strategies Apple has employed in other markets, such as the United States, where it has bundled Apple Music with Verizon plans and is set to include Apple TV+ in Comcast’s streaming bundles.

In the Indian context, Apple Music will soon be integrated into Airtel’s Wynk music app, which currently offers ad-free streaming to around 7 million postpaid subscribers. 

However, the app has not been able to engage its user base, with only a small percentage actively using the service. 

With Wynk set to wind down, Apple Music is set to take its place, offering a richer selection of content, including Bollywood and regional-language music, although its library still trails behind Spotify’s in size.

India’s music streaming market is still in its early stages, with just 7.5 million of the country’s 185 million streaming users paying for services last year, according to data from industry group FICCI and consultants EY. 

Apple’s partnership with Airtel could accelerate the adoption of paid streaming services, as the telecom giant will reportedly pay Apple a per-user fee that is lower than the current subscription rates for Apple TV+ and Apple Music in India.

This centres around the bid by Indian telecom networks to bring over-the-top (OTT) services, like those provided by Amazon, Google, and Meta, under the same regulatory framework that governs traditional telecom services.

The Asia Internet Coalition (AIC), representing major tech players such as Apple, Microsoft, Netflix, and Spotify, has strongly opposed these regulatory changes. 

In a recent submission to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), the AIC noted that OTT services should not be subject to the same regulations as telecom operators due to fundamental differences in technology and function. 

Unlike telecom providers, OTT services operate on the application layer and do not have access to key telecom resources like spectrum or public network interconnectivity.

The AIC said that OTT services are not substitutes for traditional telecom services, highlighting their unique features such as group chats and in-app content sharing. The organisation warned that including OTT services in the proposed regulatory framework could sabotage net neutrality principles and negatively impact consumers.

India’s telecom giants, including Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio, and Vodafone Idea, have been calling for these regulatory changes. They argue that OTT providers should contribute to the costs of network development, given the huge amounts of data their services generate. 

These Indian telecom operators, struggling with low revenue per user and heavy investments in 5G infrastructure, see regulatory intervention as a way to improve their financial margins.

However, the AIC countered that OTT services have, in fact, boosted data consumption and revenue for telecom operators, dismissing the notion that these services are “free-riding” on telecom networks.

The coalition also pointed out that OTT services are already regulated under India’s Information Technology Act and related rules, and that further regulation under the Telecommunications Act would exceed the law’s intended scope.

Not limited to India, similar discussions are taking place in regions like South Korea and Europe, where telecom operators are also seeking financial contributions from large tech companies.