Elon Musk's SpaceX has inked separate agreements with Reliance Jio, the biggest telecom provider in India, and Bharti Airtel, its rival, to introduce the Starlink internet service to the nation.

Since Musk has recently publicly fought with both firms, the move has surprised most experts.

It occurs while US and Indian authorities are debating a trade agreement. On April 2, US President Donald Trump promised to enact retaliatory tariffs.

The agreements, which are expected to increase satellite internet coverage throughout India, are still pending SpaceX's approval to start operations from the Indian government.

As of 2024, Starlink had 4.6 million subscribers worldwide. Since 2021, SpaceX has sought to begin operations in India; however, regulatory obstacles have caused the launch to be postponed.

Both Jio and Airtel have stated that they will use Starlink and their mobile networks to provide internet services to businesses and communities nationwide, even in rural and isolated areas.

While Airtel claims to be investigating the possibility, Jio would sell Starlink equipment in its physical locations and online, along with installation assistance.

Additionally, Airtel claims that the partnership would aid in increasing its connectivity, as would an existing agreement with Eutelsat OneWeb, a competitor of Starlink.

Starlink's concurrent agreements with Jio Platforms and Airtel were not widely expected.

Jio was thought to be Starlink's main rival in India's satellite broadband industry before the announcement.

Musk's request to officially distribute satellite spectrum was met with opposition by billionaires Mukesh Ambani and Sunil Bharti Mittal, who run Jio and Airtel, respectively.

Musk has maintained that spectrum allocation was necessary to comply with international norms.