The deals with Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel, which together control more than 70% of India’s telecom market, could help bring internet connections to millions of people who live in remote areas.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is likely to push for satellite internet services to be initially limited to mobile dark zones — regions lacking terrestrial network coverage. This move comes as Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio establish partnerships with SpaceX’s Starlink,

Vodafone completed what they called the world’s first space-based mobile video call from an area with zero mobile coverage in January, and now under the new venture - called SatCo - plan to commercially offer their technology to other mobile operators across the continent.