"Catch Musk's Starlink"... Indian Tycoons Also Join the Space War

Indian Telecom Tycoons Launch Satellite Internet Companies
Seizing the Delay of SpaceX's Starlink Launch in India

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, is pushing for the entry of the low Earth orbit satellite communication network 'Starlink' into the Indian market, while Indian billionaires are reportedly challenging Starlink, according to major foreign media on the 9th (local time).

According to sources familiar with the matter, India's telecommunications giant Bharti Airtel is set to launch a satellite internet service to compete with Starlink by establishing a joint venture with global satellite communication company Eutelsat-OneWeb, scheduled to begin operations this month. Bharti Airtel is ranked among the top three mobile carriers worldwide by subscriber base and is the flagship company of Indian telecom tycoon Sunil Mittal's Bharti Group.

[Image source=UPI Yonhap News]

A Bharti Airtel official stated, "We are discussing ways to provide internet to the Indian Army and Navy in remote areas without traditional broadband services," adding, "We have an advantage over competitors in this technology sector." Major foreign media also reported, "Unlike other competitors, Bharti Airtel has obtained all the necessary approvals for service launch," and added, "Once the Modi government allocates satellite spectrum, the service can be launched immediately."

Mukesh Ambani, chairman of Reliance Industries and one of Asia's richest individuals, has also entered the space communication competition by establishing Geospace Fiber in partnership with Luxembourg-based satellite network provider SES. Reliance is India's largest energy and telecommunications company, holding more than half of the country's 924 million wired and wireless broadband subscribers. It is currently awaiting approval from Indian space industry authorities to launch satellite internet services.

The aggressive investment in the satellite communication industry by these companies is interpreted as an attempt to seize the market amid delays in the introduction of Musk CEO's Starlink in India. Indian regulators have requested disclosure of shareholder information from SpaceX, the Starlink service provider, but the company has refused the request citing U.S. privacy laws, resulting in a three-year delay in service launch. In response, Musk reportedly met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to the U.S. last year to persuade him to approve the Starlink launch.

Santosh Tiwari, partner at global strategy consulting firm Ernst & Young-Parthenon, emphasized the importance of the competition to secure the satellite internet market in India, stating, "People tend not to switch providers once (internet service) is connected." He further projected that India's satellite internet market size will grow to up to $1 billion in the future, explaining, "(India's satellite internet) will focus on B2B services, where most of the profits will be generated."