Telco giant Airtel Tuesday announced a partnership with SpaceX to launch Starlink’s high-speed satellite internet services in India — years after Elon Musk’s company made its first moves to enter the country, the world’s second-largest internet market after China.

Elon Musk's Starlink has signed a deal with India's No. 2 telecoms company Airtel to bring Starlink's internet services to the world's most populous country, intensifying rivalry with fellow billionaire Mukesh Ambani's telecom firm Reliance Jio.

Indian telecom operator Bharti Airtel says it has signed a deal with Elon Musk’s Starlink to explore providing the U.S. satellite internet giant’s services to customers in India, depending on government approval.

With this partnership, Airtel aims to strengthen its reach, particularly in regions that currently have little or no access to broadband services

India's Bharti Airtel said on Tuesday it had signed a deal with Elon Musk's SpaceX for the highly anticipated launch of Starlink satellite internet in the world's most populous country. SpaceX's Starlink has long wanted to launch in India and has in recent months clashed with billionaire Mukesh Ambani's company over how the country should grant spectrum for satellite services.

India's telecom regulator plans to recommend that satellite broadband spectrum be allotted for around five years to assess initial market adoption, defying Elon Musk's Starlink, which is seeking a 20-year permit,

Ambani's Jio Platforms announced that it would bring Starlink into India, opening doors to the world's largest consumer market.

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,