Jio announces pact to offer Starlink’s broadband internet services in India

Jio Platforms Limited (JPL), a subsidiary of Reliance Industries Limited, on Wednesday announced an agreement with SpaceX for offering the world’s leading low Earth orbit satellite Starlink’s broadband internet services to customers in India, including in the country’s most rural and remote regions.

The agreement is subject to authorisations for SpaceX to sell Starlink in India.

Rival Bharti Airtel announced a similar deal with billionaire Elon Musk’s Starlink on Tuesday.In a statement, JPL said the pact enables Jio and SpaceX to explore how Starlink can extend Jio’s offerings and how Jio can complement SpaceX’s direct offerings to consumers and businesses.

“Jio will make Starlink solutions available through its retail outlets as well as through its online storefronts.”The statement said the parties through the agreement 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.“Jio will not only offer Starlink equipment in its retail outlets but will establish a mechanism to support customer service installation and activation.” The statement said the agreement is part of Jio’s commitment to ensuring that reliable internet is fully accessible to all enterprises, small and medium businesses, and communities across India.

“Starlink complements JioAirFiber and JioFiber by extending high-speed internet to the most challenging of locations in a quick and affordable manner.”The statement said Jio and SpaceX were also evaluating other complementary areas of cooperation to leverage their respective infrastructure to further enhance India’s digital ecosystem.Reliance Jio Group CEO Mathew Oommen said ensuring every Indian, no matter where they live, has access to affordable and high-speed broadband remains Jio’s top priority.

“Our collaboration with SpaceX to bring Starlink to India strengthens our commitment and marks a transformative step toward seamless broadband connectivity for all.

By integrating Starlink into Jio’s broadband ecosystem, we are expanding our reach and enhancing the reliability and accessibility of highspeed broadband in this AI-driven era, empowering communities and businesses across the country.”SpaceX president and chief operating officer Gwynne Shotwell applauded Jio’s commitment to advancing India’s connectivity and said they were looking forward to working with Jio and receiving authorisation from the Indian government to provide more people, organisations, and businesses with access to Starlink’s high-speed internet services.Starlink, engineered and operated by SpaceX, delivers broadband internet capable of supporting streaming, online gaming, and video calls.

It is the world’s leading provider of launch services, leveraging its experience with both spacecraft and on-orbit operations to deploy the world’s most advanced broadband internet system.