Elon Musk has questioned the delay in Starlink’s India launch and directly asked whether Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani is “the real boss of India”, as the government maintains that Starlink and other satellite operators are undergoing the same security approval process.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has stepped up his criticism of Starlink’s delayed commercial launch in India, questioning why the satellite internet service has yet to begin operations despite years of regulatory compliance. Musk also directly named Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani, asking whether he is “the real boss of India.”
In a post on X, Musk said Starlink is licensed in more than 165 countries and claimed that the company has spent five years complying with Indian laws and government requirements. He questioned why the service is still waiting for the approvals needed to launch commercially in the country.
The comments came a day after Musk accused unnamed “oligarchs” of blocking Starlink’s entry into India to protect what he described as a “monopolistic chokehold” over the market. While Musk did not initially name any company, his latest post directly questioned Ambani’s role.
The Indian government, however, has rejected claims that Starlink is being selectively blocked. The Department of Telecommunications has said India’s authorisation framework for telecom and satellite services is “fair and non-discriminatory”, and that allegations of selective treatment are unfounded.
Starlink is also not the only satellite internet provider awaiting completion of the regulatory process. The government has issued licences to Starlink, Reliance Jio’s satellite venture Jio Satcom and Bharti-backed Eutelsat OneWeb. All three are awaiting required security assessments and related spectrum approvals before they can begin commercial services.
The government has said security assessments are underway for all three companies. Minister of State for Communications Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani said the matter is pending with the Ministry of Home Affairs and is not specific to Starlink.
Starlink, meanwhile, has been preparing for its India launch. The company has reportedly established 20 gateway sites in the country and put systems in place to meet Indian security and data-localisation requirements. SpaceX has also maintained that its satellite beams remain switched off over India until the necessary approvals are secured.
Musk has argued that Starlink could particularly benefit people living in areas with limited or no conventional internet and mobile connectivity. The service is expected to compete with satellite broadband offerings from Reliance Jio and Bharti-backed Eutelsat OneWeb once all regulatory requirements are completed.
The dispute puts Starlink’s India entry at the centre of an increasingly public confrontation between Musk and Indian authorities, with the billionaire questioning the country’s regulatory process while the government maintains that the same security requirements apply to all satellite communications operators.
