Vodafone Idea says not in tie-up talks with Elon Musk's Starlink, shares fall
The Hindu
Vodafone Idea denies any talks with Elon Musk's Starlink to enter India, sending its shares down 5%.
Vodafone Idea is not in talks to tie-up with billionaire Elon Musk's satellite internet unit Starlink, the Indian telecom operator said on January 2, sending its shares down 5%.
The clarification from Vodafone Idea came after its stock surged in the past two sessions on what BusinessWorld said were "markets betting" that Mr. Musk was looking to buy a stake in the company to help Starlink enter India.
On Jan. 1, the Bombay Stock Exchange, where Vodafone Idea's stock is listed, had asked the company for a clarification, citing the report.
"We would like to submit that the company is not in any such discussion with the named party. We are not aware of the basis of the said news item," Vodafone Idea said in a statement.

The Union Budget unveiled on February 1, 2025, has come at a time of unprecedented global uncertainty and a flagging domestic economy. The real GDP growth is estimated at 6.4% for 2024-25 and between 6.3-6.8% for 2025-26, a far cry from >8 percent growth required annually to make India a developed nation by 2047. While much attention has been devoted to the demand stimulus through income tax cuts, not enough is said about the proposed reforms in urban development, tariff rationalisation, and regulatory simplification aimed at making Indian cities and corporates more competitive. Since the majority of economic activity is located in cities (urban areas account for ~55% of GDP) and produced by large corporates (~40% of the national output and 55% of India’s exports), the above-mentioned reforms have a pivotal role in improving India’s trend growth rate. Below we unpack each reform.