Bharti Group Chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal, in a statement on Wednesday, welcomed the industry's move to come forward through active announcements of partnerships between satellite companies and telecom operators. This statement followed shortly after the world's largest mobile operator, in terms of data traffic, announced a partnership with Starlink from SpaceX.
Also Read: Airtel Partners with SpaceX to Bring Starlink Internet to its Customers in India
Call for Telco-Satellite Collaboration
At the recently concluded MWC 2025, Sunil Bharti Mittal called for Telco-Satellite collaboration for rural network expansion. In a first, Bharti Airtel, on Tuesday, March 11, announced an agreement with SpaceX to offer Starlink's high-speed satellite internet services to customers in India. This move was followed by Jio Platforms Limited (JPL), which announced its partnership with SpaceX to bring Starlink services to India on Wednesday. More on these announcements can be read from the links.
Also Read: After Airtel, Reliance Jio Partners with SpaceX to Bring Starlink Internet to India
"In my opening remark at the recently concluded Mobile World Congress 2025 in Barcelona, I made a call to both the telecom and satellite players to work together, combine their strengths, and complete the mission of connecting the unconnected, covering the oceans and the skies as well as difficult-to-reach areas. I am glad that this is being followed through with active announcements of partnerships between satellite companies and telecom operators," said Sunil Bharti Mittal, Founder and Chairman of Bharti Enterprises.
Industry Response to Roaming Charges Appeal
"I had made a similar appeal in my keynote address at the Mobile World Congress in 2017 for operators to slash roaming charges, which were preventing customers from carrying their home networks and seeking local SIMs or Wi-Fi hotspots. The industry responded favourably; roaming rates went south, and the international home network switch-on rates shot up. Today, roaming tariffs across the globe are affordable," Mittal added.
He further stated, "I have no doubt the satellite and the telecom industry globally will respond to my call to combine their strengths."
Also Read: Airtel Poised to Lead in Satellite Connectivity, Says Sunil Bharti Mittal: Report
Connecting the Unconnected
Mittal emphasised the need for collaboration between telecom and satellite providers, urging them to combine their strengths to achieve the goal of connecting the unconnected, including remote areas, oceans, and the skies.
"For the telecom industry, the addition of satellite technology should be no different from bringing new technologies to its customers. Just like 4G, 5G, and 6G in the future, we will now have one more technology in our mix, i.e. SAT-G. Soon, customers will be able to carry their mobiles to the remotest part of the world, with them in the skies and blue oceans. A new era of seamless global connectivity beckons," Mittal concluded.
Also Read: Eutelsat OneWeb Pushes for Early DoT Nod to Offer Satellite Broadband Services: Report
Bharti-Backed Eutelsat OneWeb
According to earlier reports, Bharti-backed Eutelsat OneWeb has sought fast-track approval from India's Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to deploy its twin Earth station gateways in India. This would enable connectivity with its low-Earth orbit (LEO) global satellite constellation and allow it to deliver satellite broadband services to customers in South Asia. More on this can be read in the story linked.
