Starlink’s Surprising Partnerships: Political Alliances or Business Moves

Jairam Ramesh questions the timing of Starlink’s partnerships with Jio and Airtel, claiming it’s linked to India’s relations with Trump amid trade issues.

PTI11 29 2024 000352A 0 1732961605515 1741857021436

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh raised concerns about the recent partnerships between Elon Musk’s Starlink and India’s major telecom firms, Jio and Airtel. He claimed that these deals were arranged by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to maintain a good relationship with former US President Donald Trump during ongoing global trade disputes.

Ramesh questioned how Jio and Airtel could suddenly support Starlink after previously opposing its entry into India. He pointed out that just 12 hours after announcing the partnership, these companies embraced a business they had once fought against.

In an interview, Ramesh said, “These companies opposed Starlink because it wanted special radio waves (spectrum) to operate, which goes against the Indian government’s auction policies since 2014.”

He further accused the Prime Minister of using Starlink’s deals to curry favor with Trump and insisted that there must be some agreement involved, although details are unclear. He expressed concern that this move was all about gaining friendship with Trump through Musk.

Shiv Sena leader Shaina NC responded to the accusations by calling out the Congress party for spreading conspiracy theories. She argued that Jio and Airtel made their own choices to partner with Starlink and emphasized that there’s no threat to India’s national security, urging Ramesh to stop promoting these ideas.

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