• India's richest man, Mukesh Ambani, announced a partnership with Elon Musk's SpaceX.
• Ambani's Jio Platforms will bring Starlink's internet services to India, per the partnership.
• This deal comes at a welcome time for Musk.

India's richest man is joining hands with Elon Musk to bring Starlink into the subcontinent.

Mukesh Ambani, the billionaire owner of Indian mega-conglomerate Reliance Industries, announced a partnership with Musk's SpaceX to bring Starlink's internet services to India through its technology subsidiary, Jio Platforms.

In a press release on Wednesday, Jio Platforms said that it would offer Starlink services to customers in India through its retail and online storefronts.

The partnership would increase access connectivity across the subcontinent, even in "most rural and remote regions of India," the release wrote.

"Our collaboration with SpaceX to bring Starlink to India strengthens our commitment and marks a transformative step toward seamless broadband connectivity for all," Mathew Oommen, the CEO of Reliance Jio, said in the release.

Jio Platforms said this agreement will be "subject to SpaceX receiving its own authorizations to sell Starlink in India."

Jio Platforms did not specify when the partnership will be rolled out.

If the partnership goes through, it will give Starlink access to the world's largest consumer market. India is the world's most populous country, with more than 1.4 billion people.

Reliance Jio had 481.8 million subscribers in the country as of 2024, Reliance Industries said in its 2023-2024 annual report. Ambani had a net worth of $87.5 billion at press time on Wednesday, per the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

Representatives for SpaceX and Reliance Industries did not respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.

Musk said he's been running his businesses 'with great difficulty'

The deal with Ambani, if confirmed, would be a welcome boost for Musk. The Tesla and SpaceX CEO said in an interview with Fox Business host Larry Kudlow, which aired Monday, that running the Department of Government Efficiency along with his companies hasn't been easy.

"With great difficulty," Musk said when asked how he managed his businesses.

Tesla saw a postelection boost after President Donald Trump's victory in November, but the stock has slid by more than 50% from recent highs. Musk's EV company has also seen declining sales in Europe and China.

In January, Tesla said it delivered 1.79 million vehicles last year, a 1% drop from the 1.81 million vehicles it delivered in 2023. This was the first time the company's annual sales declined in more than a decade.

Musk's clashes with European politicians over the Ukraine war have resulted in increased scrutiny over the market dominance of his satellite internet service, Starlink. Musk initially supported Ukraine but has since called for the US to stop sending it military aid.

On Sunday, Poland's foreign minister, Radosław Sikorski, wrote in an X post that Poland "will be forced to look for other suppliers" of satellite internet services if SpaceX "proves to be an unreliable provider."

"To be extremely clear, no matter how much I disagree with the Ukraine policy, Starlink will never turn off its terminals," Musk wrote on X on Sunday.

"We would never do such a thing or use it as a bargaining chip," he added.