The move has caught most analysts by surprise, as Musk has publicly clashed with both companies recently.

It comes as Indian and US officials discuss a trade deal. US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose retaliatory tariffs on 2 April.

The agreements, touted to expand satellite internet coverage across India, are still conditional upon SpaceX obtaining the Indian government’s approval to begin operations.

Starlink had 4.6 million subscribers across the world, as of 2024.

SpaceX has been aiming to launch services in India since 2021, but regulatory hurdles have delayed its arrival.

Both Jio and Airtel say they will leverage their mobile network along with Starlink to deliver broadband services to communities and businesses across the country, including in rural and remote regions.

Jio will offer Starlink equipment in its retail outlets and online stores along with providing installation support for the devices, while Airtel says it is exploring the same.

Airtel also says the tie-up, along with an existing deal with Starlink rival Eutelsat OneWeb, would help to expand its connectivity.

Many had not anticipated Starlink’s simultaneous deals with Jio Platforms and Airtel.

Up until the announcement, Jio was seen as Starlink’s biggest competitor in India’s satellite broadband market.

Billionaires Mukesh Ambani and Sunil Bharti Mittal, who own Jio and Airtel respectively, had jointly opposed Musk’s demand to administratively allocate satellite spectrum.

Mr Musk had argued that spectrum should be allotted as this would align with international standards.

Ambani and Mittal had wanted it to be auctioned instead in a competitive bidding process.

Last October, in a major win for Musk, the Indian government announced that spectrum would be allocated administratively.

The tie-ups come off the back of that policy and Musk’s meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Washington last month, during which they discussed cooperation in areas of space technology and mobility.

Musk’s influence on the US government is “sky-high” and “probably a good reason why Delhi took a contrarian position with respect to Jio’s ask for spectrum auction rather than allocation, which is rare”, says Prasanto K Roy, a technology analyst.

India is the world’s second largest internet market but more than 670 million of its 1.4 billion people have no access to the internet, according to a 2024 report by GSMA, a trade body representing mobile network operators worldwide.

Satellite broadband provides internet access anywhere within the satellite’s coverage.

This makes it a reliable option for remote or rural areas where traditional services like DSL – a connection that uses telephone lines to transmit data – or cable are unavailable. It also helps to bridge the hard-to-reach digital divide.

“Starlink is a clear winner here,” says Tarun Pathak, an analyst at Counterpoint Research. If approved, the tie-ups give Musk access to 70% of India’s mobile users.

Musk has been “eyeing a presence [in India] because its size will also give him economies of scale” given how expensive satellite internet is, he says.

These partnerships are also a quick way for Starlink to comply with India’s data localisation laws, he adds.

For consumers, how the services are priced will be key, given mobile data in India is among the cheapest globally.

Satellite broadband plans cost around $150 a month, whereas mobile data is 150 rupees ($2; £1.33).

But a partnership with both Airtel and Jio could help bring prices down to around 3,000 rupees, says Roy.

“Also, pricing may be better from Musk’s point of view and not rock-bottom, with Jio and Airtel offering the same services,” he says.

For Airtel and Jio, the partnership with Musk is a clear result of the telecoms policy not favouring them, analysts say.

“Jio was hoping that it would raise the entry barriers for others by pressing for the auction route. But since that hasn’t happened, they must have felt it is better to change tack and do a tie-up,” says Roy.

Pathak says the Indian government, on the other hand, possibly felt it would be better to “co-operate” rather than “compete” with Musk with Trump’s tariffs looming and a trade deal under discussion.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford also emphasised that his government would be “ripping up” its C$100m ($68m; £55.1) contract with Elon Musk’s satellite internet company Starlink.

“Ontario won’t do business with people hell-bent on destroying our economy,” said Ford, who is running in the province snap election he called last week.

Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke on Monday about the 25% import tax on Canadian goods that the US president announced at the weekend.

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The pair are schedule to speak again this afternoon.

The president announced on Saturday that a 25% import tax on goods from Canada and Mexico would begin on Tuesday, along with 10% tariffs on goods from China.

Canadian energy faces a lower 10% tariff.

Trudeau immediately announced counter-tariff plans in response. He said that his government would place C$30bn in tariffs on American goods this week – with an additional C$125bn in 21 days, for a total of C$155bn ($107bn; £86bn) – if the US moves ahead with the levies.

Canada has “no choice but to hit back, and hit back hard”, Ford said at a news conference on Monday.

“Canada didn’t start this fight with the US, but you better believe we’re ready to win it,” the Ontario premier added.

Ford has targeted Starlink in that effort after his Ontario government partnered with the internet firm. The province launched a programme with Starlink last November that would offer high-speed satellite internet access to 15,000 eligible unserved and underserved homes and businesses.

Musk, the CEO of SpaceX – Starlink’s parent company – is one of Trump’s closest allies. The BBC has contacted Space X for comment.

Ford said he believes the province has “a very good case” should Starlink attempt to challenge the move in court, but he is willing for the province to pay a penalty.

“It’s the principle,” he said.

Other Canadian provinces are taking a similar path.

Officials in Quebec, British Columbia and New Brunswick announced plans to target American booze, removing it from shelves in provincial liquor stores, and said they will revisit provincial contracts for US firms.

On Monday, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Trump announced that they had agreed on a one-month delay on tariffs on imports from her country after she promised to send additional Mexican National Guard troops to the border.

A Canadian official told the New York Times that Ottawa is not optimistic it will get a similar reprieve.

The president said tariffs are needed to “protect” Americans from the “major threat of illegal aliens and deadly drugs”, including fentanyl.

His administration alleges that Mexican gangs have fentanyl labs in Canada. Trudeau has said less than 1% of fentanyl entering the US comes from his country.

In December, Canada said it would devote C$1.3bn ($900m; £700m) to a new border plan that included strengthened surveillance.

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This month, Canadian premiers will travel to Washington DC to lobby against the tariffs and will attend a meeting of US state governors.

All three major stock exchanges in the US tumbled after they opened on Monday. It was the first official trading since Trump issued his orders raising tariffs on imports from Canada, Mexico and China.

Starlink claims to provide superfast broadband “almost anywhere on Earth”.

But it does not yet have permission to provide coverage in India or India’s territorial waters.

Last week, the Indian Coast Guard said they found the device on a Myanmar boat they seized near the Andaman and Nicobar islands.

This was the biggest such drug bust by the Coast Guard, authorities said. They reportedly seized 6,000kg (13,227 lb) of methamphetamine from the boat. Police estimated it was worth $4.25bn (£3.35bn).

Police in the Indian archipelago of Andaman and Nicobar say they have arrested six Myanmar nationals in the case.

Starlink has been aiming to launch services in India since 2021, but regulatory hurdles have delayed its arrival. The company also faces stiff competition from Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Jio.

Hargobinder S Dhaliwal, police chief of the Andaman islands, said last week’s incident put authorities on alert because the use of Starlink’s mini device had bypassed legal channels.

The company’s website describes the device as “a compact, portable kit that can easily fit in a backpack”.

The drug smugglers started using Starlink from the time their journey began from Myanmar, Mr Dhaliwal said in a press statement on Monday.

“They directly operated [phones] with satellite, creating a Wi-Fi hotspot,” he added.

Andaman police say they have since written to Starlink, asking for details of the device, including who bought it, when and how it’s been used since its purchase.

They are also investigating the involvement of any local or foreign syndicates in transporting the drug.