Reliance Jio has partnered with SpaceX to offer Starlink to its customers in India just hours after Airtel's partnership.

SpaceX is still awaiting permission from the government to officially launch Starlink's services in the country.

India's largest telecoms company Reliance Jio and its rival Bharti Airtel have signed separate deals with Elon Musk's SpaceX to bring the Starlink internet service to the country. The move has caught most analysts by surprise, as Musk has publicly clashed with both companies recently.

India’s telecom giants Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio have announced partnerships to launch Elon Musk’s Starlink services in India in a bid to provide better connectivity to their customers. Until last year,

The CPI(M) has opposed Jio and Airtel collaboration with Elon Musk's Starlink, citing concerns over spectrum allocation and national security. Warning against monopolisation and strategic risks, the party urged the government to block the deal.

India’s two major telecom companies - Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel have signed agreements with SpaceX to distribute Starlink’s satellite internet services in the country. However, the Elon Musk-owned company is still awaiting regulatory approvals from the Indian government.

Despite their ambitious plans, both Airtel and Jio must wait for SpaceX to secure regulatory clearances before Starlink can officially launch in India.

While that means India is close to offering satellite communication services in and around the country, it could still take time to happen.

The announcements about Starlink’s tie-ups with the Indian telecommunication giants follow Trump’s decision to impose reciprocal tariffs on India from April 2.

The deals with Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel, which together control more than 70% of India’s telecom market, could help bring internet connections to millions of people who live in remote areas.

India's Reliance Jio said on Wednesday it signed a deal with Elon Musk's SpaceX to bring Starlink's internet services to India, a day after rival Bharti Airtel inked a similar pact. Both deals are conditional upon Starlink obtaining government approval to begin operations in the country.