As SpaceX continues to face persistent roadblocks in bringing its Starlink satellite internet service to India, billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk has escalated his verbal assaults on Indian business tycoon Mukesh Ambani. In a series of provocative statements, Musk mockingly referred to the Reliance Industries chairperson as India’s "prime minister"—a jab suggesting outsized influence over the nation’s government—and accused him of deliberately obstructing Starlink’s entry into the world’s most populous internet market.
The tension highlights the high-stakes battle for dominance in India’s emerging satellite broadband sector. Musk’s latest salvo came via a post on X, formerly Twitter, where he criticized the billionaire chairman of Reliance Industries. Musk argued that Starlink holds the potential to bridge critical digital divides by bringing high-speed internet access to remote and unconnected areas across the country. He contended that such connectivity would provide children with expanded educational opportunities and empower small businesses to reach customers globally.
"Naturally, you would prefer to maintain your monopolistic exploitation of the great people of India, but would you nonetheless consider allowing Starlink to compete?" Musk wrote on the platform.
Reliance Jio, the telecommunications arm of Reliance Industries and India’s largest telecom operator, did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding Musk’s remarks.
The aggressive rhetoric follows accusations made by Musk earlier in the week, in which he claimed that unnamed "oligarchs" were working behind the scenes to block Starlink’s launch in India to protect their established commercial interests. Those allegations were swiftly rebuffed by India’s Ministry of Communications, which defended the nation’s regulatory framework for satellite communications as "fair and non-discriminatory."
Undeterred by the government’s response, Musk doubled down on his attacks, questioning Ambani’s political and economic clout directly in a separate post on X. "Is Ambani the real boss of India?" he asked.
SpaceX has spent years navigating the complex bureaucratic and commercial landscape of India in pursuit of a Starlink launch. In a surprising turn last year, the company struck distribution agreements with both Ambani’s Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel, India’s second-largest telecom operator. The partnerships were designed to pave the way for Starlink to offer services once all regulatory permissions were secured. Yet, despite successfully clearing several critical regulatory milestones over the past year, Starlink has not yet obtained final clearance from New Delhi to commence commercial operations.
Addressing the delays, India’s communication ministry clarified in a statement that Starlink, alongside two other licensed satellite operators, is currently undergoing mandatory security assessments. These evaluations must be fully completed before any company can be assigned satellite spectrum. The ministry emphasized that all three prospective service providers are at "broadly the same regulatory stage," explicitly rejecting Musk’s assertions that Starlink has been singled out or subjected to unfair delays.
Domestic competitors are also positioning themselves for the burgeoning market. Both Jio and Airtel are aggressively pursuing the launch of their own satellite internet services. Reliance Jio has established a joint venture with Luxembourg-based satellite operator SES, while Bharti Airtel serves as a major shareholder in Eutelsat OneWeb, which is similarly striving to secure authorization to offer satellite connectivity across the country.
India represents a crucial frontier for Musk’s commercial ambitions. With a population exceeding 1.4 billion and over a billion internet users, the market offers immense revenue potential. However, breaking into the ecosystem requires confronting entrenched domestic conglomerates. Ambani’s Reliance Industries not only controls the nation’s dominant telecom player but also maintains close ties with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, collaborating on numerous strategic national infrastructure and digital projects.
The current friction over satellite broadband is not the first point of contention between Musk and Indian telecom players. Prior to Musk’s public outbursts, Starlink and Reliance Jio engaged in a protracted policy debate over how satellite spectrum should be allocated in India. Starlink lobbied heavily for spectrum to be assigned administratively, aligning with international practices for satellite operations. Conversely, Jio pushed for a competitive auction process, arguing it would be a fairer allocation method. Ultimately, New Delhi decided to proceed with administrative assignment, a regulatory win for Starlink that did little to soothe broader commercial tensions.
The regulatory limbo has also coincided with broader operational struggles for Musk’s other major enterprise in the region: Tesla. After years of anticipation and delay, the electric vehicle manufacturer officially launched its operations in India last year. However, initial sales figures have fallen significantly short of expectations. According to data cited by industry trackers, Tesla registered a mere 699 vehicles during its first 12 months of deliveries in the country.
Steep import duties have presented a formidable barrier, pushing the launch price of vehicles like the Model Y to nearly twice its cost in the United States. Although Tesla implemented price reductions earlier in the year, its electric vehicles remain substantially more expensive for Indian consumers than their international counterparts.
As the political and corporate war of words continues, Indian officials remain steadfast in defending the integrity of the country’s business environment. Responding to Musk’s monopoly allegations, India’s Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia pushed back firmly against the claims, reiterating that the nation "does not allow a monopoly in any sector." For now, Starlink’s operational future in India remains hanging in the balance as regulatory assessments proceed behind closed doors.