Elon Musk has accused unnamed “oligarchs” of obstructing Starlink’s commercial launch in India, claiming the satellite internet service is being prevented from operating to preserve a “monopolistic chokehold” over the country’s internet market.
In posts on X, the SpaceX founder said Starlink was being stopped “to maintain their monopolistic chokehold on the Indian people”, adding: “You can guess who they are.” Musk did not identify the individuals or companies he was referring to.
Musk made the remarks while responding to a post arguing that Starlink could provide faster internet to parts of India where building conventional mobile towers and fibre networks is difficult. He described the delay as “a crime against the people of India!” and said Starlink would provide fast and affordable internet to people who could not afford existing prices or had no connection at all.
Starlink has received a licence to provide satellite internet services in India, but commercial operations have not yet begun. According to Bloomberg, the company is still awaiting security clearances and allocation of spectrum bands before it can launch. Starlink says it has already established 20 gateway sites across India, equipped with hundreds of antennas, and introduced security controls specifically designed to meet Indian requirements.
India has issued satellite communications licences to three companies — Starlink, Reliance Jio and OneWeb — but none has yet started a full commercial service, Bloomberg reported. The final approval for Starlink’s launch has effectively been held up by security concerns, with people familiar with the matter telling Bloomberg in June that security agencies under the home ministry were withholding clearances.
Lauren Dreyer, Starlink’s vice president of business operations, said at an industry event in New Delhi on Wednesday that the company had spent five years working with Indian regulators. She said Starlink had designed its network around India’s security requirements and would keep Indian user data inside the country. “We’re standing ready to serve India once India is ready,” she said, according to Bloomberg.
Musk’s comments appeared to target the business interests of Indian billionaires Mukesh Ambani and Sunil Bharti Mittal, although he did not name either man. Their companies, Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel, together account for about 910 million broadband subscribers, representing more than 80 per cent of the Indian market based on the latest government data.
The relationship between the companies is not straightforward. Bharti is among the largest shareholders in Eutelsat, which operates the OneWeb satellite network and competes with Starlink internationally. At the same time, Bharti Airtel has partnered with SpaceX to offer Starlink services to its Indian customers.
Reliance also has satellite ambitions through Jio Satellite Communications and a joint venture with Luxembourg-based SES. Its subsidiary, Jio Platforms, is preparing for what Bloomberg described as a potential record-setting initial public offering in India later this month. Bloomberg said Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel did not respond to requests for comment sent after regular business hours.
