Elon Musk has escalated his fight over Starlink in India by singling out Mukesh Ambani and accusing unnamed powerful interests of trying to block the service. The dispute now sits on top of a live approval process, with India saying Starlink still needs security clearances and spectrum allocation before commercial launch.
Musk wrote on X that Starlink is licensed in over 165 countries and has spent five years complying with every single law and requirement of India, then asked, “Is Ambani the real boss of India?” He had already accused “certain oligarchs” of maintaining a “monopolistic chokehold” and called blocking Starlink “a crime against the people of India.”
India rejects Musk's claim
India’s Ministry of Communications rejected the allegation and said the framework is fair and non-discriminatory. The ministry also put Starlink, Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio Satellite Communications at broadly the same stage, which means none of the three can start commercial satellite service until the remaining approvals move.
That matters because the bottleneck is not one company’s complaint. It is the same regulatory gate for three operators, and each is trying to reach the same customers in a market where satellite internet is still waiting to open at scale.
Jio, Airtel and Starlink
In March 2025, Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel signed agreements with SpaceX to distribute Starlink equipment and services in India, subject to government approval. The two companies also said they could explore sharing network infrastructure, which puts Musk’s public attack in awkward contrast with a business relationship that already exists on paper.
Starlink, Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel also gathered at the India Mobile Congress in Delhi on Wednesday, where the three discussed satellite internet plans. Akash Ambani said Reliance Jio was developing its own satellite communications technology and working towards regulatory approvals, then declined to address Musk directly and said, “We want to be heads down and deliver value to our Indian consumers.”
The practical question now is not the shouting on X. It is whether Starlink gets the security clearances and spectrum allocation it still needs, because those are the steps standing between the company and commercial service in India.
