Synopsis
On March 12, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw praised Elon Musk's Starlink service for its potential to enhance railway projects in remote regions of India, following partnerships between major telecom companies and SpaceX.Key Takeaways
- Starlink is set to launch in India.
- Partnerships with Airtel and Jio create opportunities for rural connectivity.
- Starlink will assist in enhancing railway projects in remote areas.
- New technologies like SAT-G will be integrated into telecom services.
- Global connectivity is becoming more accessible.
New Delhi, March 12 (NationPress) Union Minister for Railways, Electronics and IT, Ashwini Vaishnaw, expressed enthusiasm on Wednesday regarding Elon Musk’s affordable satellite internet service Starlink entering India.
Leading Indian telecom operators, Airtel and Jio Platforms, have joined forces with SpaceX to introduce Starlink Internet services within the nation.
“Starlink, welcome to India! This will prove beneficial for railway projects in remote regions,” the Union Minister shared on the social media platform X.
Following Airtel’s announcement of its partnership with SpaceX, Jio Platforms also revealed a similar collaboration with the American company.
Airtel and SpaceX are set to investigate the provision of Starlink equipment in Airtel’s retail outlets, along with delivering Starlink services to business clients, aiming to connect communities, educational institutions, and healthcare facilities, even in the most isolated areas of India.
Furthermore, Airtel and SpaceX will look into how Starlink could help extend and improve the Airtel network, while also enabling SpaceX to leverage Airtel’s ground network infrastructure and other resources in India, as per company statements.
Sunil Bharti Mittal, Founder and Chairman of Bharti Enterprises, remarked that a new era of seamless global connectivity is on the horizon for users. He noted that soon, customers would be able to use their mobile devices in the most remote locations, amidst the skies and vast oceans.
During his opening speech at the recently held ‘Mobile World Congress 2025’ in Barcelona, Mittal urged both telecom and satellite industries to collaborate, merge their strengths, and fulfill the mission of connecting the unconnected, encompassing oceans, skies, and hard-to-reach regions.
“I’m pleased to witness the active announcements of partnerships between satellite firms and telecom operators,” he stated.
For the telecom sector, integrating satellite technology should be akin to introducing new technology to customers.
“Similar to 4G, 5G, and future 6G, we will now incorporate another technology into our offerings, namely SAT-G,” asserted Mittal.
