Airtel eyes wider retail and enterprise broadband portfolio with Starlink partnership
NEW DELHI: In its first partnership as it eyes a presence in India’s broadband market, the SpaceX-owned Starlink Internet company has signed an agreement with Bharti Airtel, to sell its satellite internet products to customers. Bharti Airtel made the announcement on Tuesday even as Starlink is yet to receive authorisations to sell their satellite internet products in India, or beam signals within the geographical boundaries.
This becomes Bharti Airtel’s second satellite internet partnership globally. It is already part of the alliance with Eutelsat OneWeb, in which the UK Government, French company Eutelsat, and SoftBank, also hold stakes. For Starlink, localised partnerships are a tried and tested method.
Starlink’s constellation, at this time, consists of 6,750 LEO, or low Earth orbit satellites placed at varying distances from earth — that range is around 500 kilometres. It is by far the biggest constellation of its kind, globally. In comparison, the last data shared by Eutelsat OneWeb pegs its LEO constellation at 634 satellites, at an altitude of around 1,200 kilometres.
“This collaboration enhances our ability to bring world-class high-speed broadband to even the most remote parts of India, ensuring that every individual, business, and community has reliable internet. 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,” Gopal Vittal, managing director and vice chairman, Bharti Airtel Ltd, said in a statement.
The contours of this agreement, for now, focus on Starlink leveraging Airtel’s retail footprint in the country, to get access to retail consumers, as well as enterprise customers, communities, schools, as well as healthcare facilities. Airtel said Starlink will be able to leverage their existing ground network infrastructure too, while Starlink will assist in expanding Airtel’s broadband and mobile network across telecom circles.
Globally, Starlink has similar agreements in place.
In Japan, Starlink partnered with mobile service provider KDDI in 2022 to extend connectivity to rural areas through 1,200 remote mobile towers. In Canada, Rogers Communications works with Starlink for satellite-to-phone services to improve coverage in remote regions. New Zealand’s One NZ also has had an agreement with Starlink since 2023 to expand mobile network coverage in the country.
Australia’s Optus, Telkomsat in Indonesia, Africa Mobile Networks in Nigeria, and Namibia-based Paratus Group, which distribute Starlink services across Mozambique, Kenya, Rwanda, and Nigeria, respectively, are examples of similar agreements.
“We are constantly amazed by the incredible and inspiring things that people, businesses and organisations do when they are connected via Starlink,” said Gwynne Shotwell, who is president and chief operating officer at SpaceX.
Airtel said the company is focusing on nationwide connectivity, including parts of the country that currently do not have coverage, or have limited access to broadband services.
Airtel’s broadband product portfolio includes the 5G NSA, or non-standalone network, fiber broadband under the Xstream branding, 5G fixed wireless access or FWA called Xstream AirFiber as well as the upcoming IPTV or internet protocol television services.
In countries where they have the necessary approvals, Starlink can sell broadband services for homes, businesses as well as a product called Roam, which is portable. At this time, Starlink’s products for retail cost upwards of $80 (around ₹6,792) per month for fixed connectivity in homes and businesses in the US. Speeds can range between 25Mbps and 500Mbps, depending on the type of service plan.
The India pricing, or product specifics, are as yet unknown.
