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PM Modi’s attempt to buy peace with Trump through Musk: Jairam Ramesh on Airtel, Jio’s deal with Starlink
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh claims the recent partnerships of Jio and Airtel with Elon Musk's Starlink are strategic moves by PM Modi aimed at appeasing Donald Trump. This raises questions about international relations and corporate strategies in the tech industry.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Thursday alleged that Airtel and Jio teaming up with SpaceX to bring Starlink in India was an attempt by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to buy peace with US President Donald Trump through Elon Musk.
Space Exploration Technologies Corporation, commonly known as SpaceX, is an American space technology company founded by Billionaire Elon Musk.
“I was most amused actually to see that within a space of 12 hours, both two of India's leading companies, Jio and Airtel, announcing a partnership with Starlink, a company owned by Elon Musk,” Ramesh told news agency ANI.
Reliance-owned Jio Platforms (JPL) has partnered with Elon Musk's SpaceX to provide Starlink's high-speed internet services to its customers in India, in an expansion of its broadband services, the company said on March 12.
The Jio announcement followed Bharti Airtel on March 11 announcing that has signed an agreement with SpaceX to bring high-speed satellite internet service Starlink to India.
“And they described it as a win-win situation. Both these companies had been opposing Starlink's entry into India on the grounds that Starlink wanted the allocation of spectrum when they wanted spectrum to be auctioned, which was the government of India's policy since 2014,” Ramesh added.
This is clearly why Airtel and Jio's move with Starlink has been orchestrated by the prime minister to buy peace with Mr Trump through Mr Musk.
According to Jio, the agreement will enable the company and SpaceX to "explore how Starlink can extend Jio's offerings and how Jio can complement SpaceX’s direct offerings to consumers and businesses. For Starlink, Jio will make its solutions available at its retail outlets and online stores.
“This is clearly why Airtel and Jio's move with Starlink has been orchestrated by the prime minister to buy peace with Mr Trump through Mr Musk. Every day, Mr Trump is announcing that India is reducing its tariffs, reducing its import duties. We don't know what the situation is, what India has agreed on, and what has not agreed. But clearly, this is a friendship-buying move. The Prime Minister is clearly hoping that Mr Trump will be kept happy because we have kept Mr Musk happy,” Ramesh said.
Key Takeaways
- Partnerships between Indian telecom giants and Starlink signify a shift in the broadband landscape in India.
- Political motivations can influence corporate decisions and partnerships in the tech industry.
- The dynamics between India and the US are complex, involving economic and political factors.
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Business NewsNewsPM Modi’s attempt to buy peace with Trump through Musk: Jairam Ramesh on Airtel, Jio’s deal with Starlink
First Published:13 Mar 2025, 04:11 PM IST
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