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Elon Musk has questioned the influence of Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani as SpaceX struggles to launch its Starlink satellite internet service in the country. Musk\u2019s comments, which were posted on X, escalate a dispute over regulatory delays after the Indian government rejected his claims that powerful business interests were blocking its entry.<\/p>\n
Musk accused<\/a> on Wednesday unnamed \u201coligarchs\u201d of blocking Starlink\u2019s launch in India to maintain what he called their \u201cmonopolistic chokehold\u201d on the country, without identifying them or providing evidence for his claim. He called the alleged blocking a \u201ccrime against the people of India\u201d and argued<\/a> that Starlink could bring affordable, high-speed internet to people who lack internet access.<\/p>\n Hours later, India\u2019s Ministry of Communications pushed back<\/a>, saying its regulatory framework for satellite communications is \u201cfair and non-discriminatory.\u201d The ministry said in a statement that Starlink and two other licensed satellite operators are all at \u201cbroadly the same regulatory stage.\u201d It added that all three companies are undergoing security assessments that must be completed before they can seek spectrum, the radio frequencies that satellites use to send signals.<\/p>\n Musk went further on Thursday, questioning the influence of Reliance Industries chairperson Mukesh Ambani.<\/p>\n \u201dIs Ambani the real boss of India?\u201d he wrote<\/a> on X, after claiming that Starlink had spent years complying with Indian regulations and questioning why it still lacked a license.<\/p>\n Starlink has spent more than five years trying to enter India, a market with more than a billion internet subscribers. But it has yet to begin commercial services despite securing key regulatory approvals<\/a> and partnering<\/a> with telecom giants Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel last year. SpaceX has also set up a local team as it prepares for a launch, appointing former Payoneer executive Prabhakar Jayakumar to lead its India operations in December.<\/p>\n Musk\u2019s comments came hours after Lauren Dreyer, Starlink\u2019s vice president of business operations, appeared at India Mobile Congress, a telecom industry conference in New Delhi and reiterated<\/a> the company\u2019s commitment to the market. <\/p>\n \u201cWe stand ready to serve India,\u201d Dreyer said, adding that Starlink wants to help realize Prime Minister Narendra Modi\u2019s goal of achieving universal connectivity across the country.<\/p>\n Starlink said it already has more than 20 gateway sites (the ground stations that link its satellites to the internet) and hundreds of antennas on the ground in India, and has adapted its operations to meet the country\u2019s regulatory, security, and data-sovereignty requirements. Moreover, SpaceX has positioned its satellite network as a complement to \u2014 rather than a replacement for \u2014 India\u2019s terrestrial telecom networks.<\/p>\n SpaceX first attempted to launch<\/a> Starlink in India in 2021. The company, however, had to refund preorders<\/a> for its equipment in early 2022 after the Indian government called it out for \u201cbooking\/rendering the satellite internet service\u201d before getting the necessary licenses.<\/p>\n Starlink has also previously clashed with India\u2019s largest telecom operators over how satellite spectrum should be allocated. Starlink pushed for spectrum to be assigned administratively, while Reliance Jio argued that it should be auctioned \u2014 a position that could have made Starlink\u2019s entry more expensive. India ultimately sided with Starlink\u2019s preferred approach<\/a>, deciding to allocate satellite spectrum administratively rather than through an auction.<\/p>\n Jio and Airtel, India\u2019s two biggest telcom operators, are also pursuing their own satellite internet services<\/a>, even as they have agreed to distribute Starlink in India. Jio is working with satellite operator SES on satellite broadband, while Airtel is a major backer of Eutelsat OneWeb, another licensed satellite operator in India.<\/p>\n While the timing of Starlink\u2019s India launch remains unclear, the company this week<\/a> launched Starlink Mobile, which connects ordinary phones to satellites, in neighboring Bangladesh.<\/p>\n Starlink, India\u2019s Ministry of Communications, Reliance Jio, and Bharti Airtel did not immediately respond to requests for comment.<\/p>\n Update: This article was originally published at 11:14 p.m. PDT and has since been updated to include Musk\u2019s comments questioning Reliance Industries chairperson Mukesh Ambani\u2019s influence in India.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission<\/a>. This doesn\u2019t affect our editorial independence.<\/em><\/p>\n