• Only the second Indian to chair the prestigious telecom industry body after Mr. Sunil Bharti Mittal
• Appointment also highlights the critical role of Airtel in the global Telecom industry

The Board of Directors of the GSMA elected Gopal Vittal – Vice Chairman & MD, Bharti Airtel, as its new Chairman, until the end of 2026.

Gopal is currently the acting Chair of the GSMA board.

In his role as the Chairman, Gopal will oversee the strategic direction of the GSMA. The members of this prestigious body include 1000 telecom companies from around the world, handset and device companies, software companies, equipment providers, internet companies, as well as organizations in adjacent industry sectors.

Gopal becomes the second Indian after Sunil Bharti Mittal to be elected as the Chairman of the GSMA Board.

The appointment also highlights the significant influence Airtel has in the global telecom industry, with both Sunil Bharti Mittal and Gopal Vittal having held key positions on the GSMA Board for years.

Taking on the role, Gopal Vittal said:

“I am honoured to be elected as the Chair of the GSMA Board. The mobile industry contributed $6.5 trillion to the global economy in 2024 and is the spine on which much of the innovation in the world is built. The GSMA, as a global organisation unifying the mobile ecosystem, is fundamental to discover, develop and deliver innovation that impacts positive change for all. I look forward to working closely with the GSMA team and the rest of the Board to continue this important work “

Mats Granryd, Director General of the GSMA, commented:

“I have worked with Mr. Vittal for many years and am delighted that he has been appointed Chair of the GSMA Board. His knowledge and experience makes him very well positioned to lead the Board and the industry through the current challenges and opportunities, including how to leverage AI and complete 5G for new business models and revenues streams.”

Gopal has served on the GSMA Board in different capacities for over a decade including as Deputy Chair for the last three years.

Most recently, he was also appointed the Acting Chair of the GSMA board in early 2025 and has now been formally elected as the Chair of the GSMA board.

Gopal will serve as the Chair of the Board until the end of 2026. The GSMA Board will announce the election of a new Deputy Chair in due course.

Gopal Vittal is currently the Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Bharti Airtel and is also a Board member of Bharti Airtel Limited, Airtel Africa PLC and Indus Towers. Prior to this, he was the Managing Director & CEO for Airtel for 12 years.

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.