Airtel's Sunil Mittal welcomes collaboration of telecom and satellite players to connect the unconnected

Times of Oman

13-03-2025

New Delhi: Bharti Enterprises Chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal has welcomed the collaboration between telecom and satellite companies, calling it a major step towards global connectivity.
His statement comes after Airtel and Reliance Jio partnered with Elon Musk's SpaceX to bring Starlink to India.
Mittal emphasized that partnerships between telecom and satellite companies will allow customers to stay connected even in the most remote parts of the world, including oceans and skies.
He referred to his speech at the recently concluded Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2025 in Barcelona, where he urged telecom and satellite companies to work together to ensure universal coverage.
"In my opening remark at the recently concluded Mobile World Congress 2025 in Barcelona, I made a call to both the telecom and satellite players to work together, combine their strengths, and complete the mission of connecting the unconnected, covering the oceans and the skies as well as difficult-to-reach areas. I am glad that this is being followed through with active announcements of partnerships between satellite companies and telecom operators," Mittal said.
He also recalled a similar appeal he made at Mobile World Congress 2017 at Barcelona Spain when he urged telecom operators to lower international roaming charges. Back then, high roaming rates forced customers to rely on local SIM cards or Wi-Fi hotspots when travelling abroad.
Mittal said the industry took action, and roaming charges dropped significantly, making international mobile usage more affordable.
Mittal believes that the telecom sector would embrace satellite technology just as it has adopted advancements like 4G, 5G, and the upcoming 6G.
"For the telecom industry, the addition of satellite technology should be no different from bringing new technologies to its customers. Just like 4G, 5G, and 6G in the future, we will now have one more technology in our mix, i.e. SAT-G.," Mittal said.
He also shared that with this advancement, customers will soon be able to use their mobile phones anywhere in the world, even in remote areas, across oceans, and while flying in the sky.
This collaboration between satellite companies and telecom operator is expected to bridge the digital divide and provide internet access to areas that were previously difficult to reach.