Indian telecom operator Bharti Airtel said Tuesday it has signed a deal with Elon Musk’s Starlink to explore providing the U.S. satellite internet giant’s services to customers in India, depending on government approval.

India's Bharti Airtel said on Tuesday it had signed a deal with Elon Musk's SpaceX for the highly anticipated launch of Starlink satellite internet in the world's most populous country. SpaceX's Starlink has long wanted to launch in India and has in recent months clashed with billionaire Mukesh Ambani's company over how the country should grant spectrum for satellite services.

Indian telecom Bharti Airtel announced on Tuesday that it signed a deal with Musk’s Starlink to bring its satellite internet services to India

Bharti Airtel rose as much as 3.37 per cent to hit an intraday high of Rs 1717.25 per share, while RIL share gained up to 1.13 per cent to hit an intraday high of Rs 1,261.55

Elon Musk's Starlink has signed a deal with India's No. 2 telecoms company Airtel to bring Starlink's internet services to the world's most populous country, intensifying rivalry with fellow billionaire Mukesh Ambani's telecom firm Reliance Jio.

Ambani's Jio Platforms announced that it would bring Starlink into India, opening doors to the world's largest consumer market.

India's largest telecoms company Reliance Jio and its rival Bharti Airtel have signed separate deals with Elon Musk's SpaceX to bring the Starlink internet service to the country. The move has caught most analysts by surprise,