Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday that he had a conversation with Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk to discuss ways to strengthen collaboration between India and the United States in technology and innovation.
“Spoke to Elon Musk and talked about various issues, including the topics we covered during our meeting in Washington DC earlier this year,” Modi posted on social media platform X. “We discussed the immense potential for collaboration in the areas of technology and innovation. India remains committed to advancing our partnerships with the US in these domains,” he added.
The conversation comes at a critical time, as Musk’s companies—especially Tesla and Starlink—look to expand their presence in the Indian market. Tesla has been in talks with government officials to set up a manufacturing facility in India. Meanwhile, in March, Reliance Jio signed a deal with Musk’s SpaceX to introduce Starlink satellite internet services in the country. Bharti Airtel has also entered into a similar partnership with SpaceX.
The call also comes amid regulatory hurdles for Starlink, as its operations in India are still awaiting security clearance. This development unfolds alongside ongoing negotiations for a proposed trade agreement between New Delhi and Washington, with both sides aiming to finalize the first phase by September or October.
While the government has already granted operating licenses to competitors such as Bharti Group-backed Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio Satellite Communications, both are yet to begin services due to pending decisions on spectrum allocation.
Starlink is widely viewed as a disruptor in the satellite broadband space, operating the world’s largest satellite constellation with over 6,750 satellites. In comparison, Eutelsat OneWeb has a little over 600 satellites, and Jio’s satellite partners operate around 70.
