The Indian telecommunications operator Bharti Airtel announced on Tuesday that it has reached an agreement with Elon Musk's SpaceX to deploy its Starlink internet connectivity service in the world's most populous country.
The Indian government's decision to open its market to the Starlink network has sparked intense political debate, as it competes with a project backed by Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani. The agreement is contingent upon SpaceX obtaining the necessary permissions to sell Starlink in India.
Starlink, which relies on a constellation of over 6,000 satellites in low Earth orbit, boasts more than 4 million subscribers across a hundred countries. The Reliance Group led by Mukesh Ambani opposed the contract being granted solely by government decision and advocated for an auction process for fairness and transparency.
