Congress expresses concern over Airtel and Jio’s partnership with Elon Musk’s Starlink 

Congress raises national security concerns over Airtel and Jio's partnerships with Starlink, alleging orchestrated move by PM Modi.

Raising national security concerns about Airtel and Jio’s new partnerships with Elon Musk’s Starlink, the Congress on Thursday (March 13, 2025) alleged that these agreements have been orchestrated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to “buy goodwill” with U.S. President Donald Trump.

The Opposition party said that red flags were raised by the coincidence of the country’s two leading telecommunication companies announcing their partnerships with the satellite-based internet service provider within 12 hours of each other, overcoming their previous objections to Starlink’s entry into India.

“It is abundantly clear that these partnerships have been orchestrated by none other than the PM himself to buy goodwill with President Trump through Starlink’s owner Mr. Elon Musk,” Congress communications chief Jairam Ramesh said in a post on X. 

The most important question that needs to be pondered is the implications this deal will have on national security, he said. “Who will have the power to switch connectivity on or off when national security demands it? Will it be Starlink or its Indian partners? Will other satellite-based connectivity providers also be permitted and on what basis?” Mr. Ramesh asked.

He added: “And, of course, the much larger question of Tesla manufacturing in India remains. Is there some commitment to it now that Starlink’s entry into India has been facilitated?”

Mr. Musk, the world’s richest man, is the owner of Starlink and its aerospace parent SpaceX, as well as electric vehicle maker Tesla and social media platform X. He has also emerged as a key advisor to Mr. Trump, having contributed millions to his campaign and now leading the Trump administration’s new Department of Government Efficiency.

Starlink is the world’s largest low-earth-orbit (LEO) constellation, operated by SpaceX. Over the past few months, rivals Jio and Airtel had come together to demand an auction to award spectrum for satellite services in India, fearing that an administrative allocation would give Mr. Musk access to the airwaves at a price lower than what they had paid via auctions in the past.