SpaceX chief Elon Musk questioned whether Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani is the real boss of India
after regulatory hurdles stalled Starlink’s satellite internet launch, drawing pushback from Indian officials who defended their licensing framework as fair and non-discriminatory.
Elon Musk Challenges Mukesh Ambani Over Starlink Delays
The public clash escalated when Elon Musk questioned whether Mukesh Ambani is the real boss of the country. Musk accused unnamed powerful business interests of maintaining a monopolistic chokehold
on Indian consumers and attempting to block Starlink’s entry into the market.
The world’s richest tech entrepreneur used his social media platform to criticize the delays, calling the blocked entry a crime against the people of India and pointing out that his company has spent years attempting to comply with every local requirement since 2021.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi responded to the online debate by welcoming Musk to the country.
The dispute unfolded as a Starlink delegation gathered at the India Mobile Congress in Delhi.
During the event, Akash Ambani, a non-executive director of Reliance Industries and son of Mukesh Ambani, declined to comment directly on Musk’s remarks, telling reporters that his company wants to stay focused on delivering value to consumers.
India Rejects Allegations Of Favoritism
The Union government strongly rejected the accusations of favoritism. The Ministry of Communications stated that three different operators—Starlink, Eutelsat OneWeb, and Jio Satellite Communications—sit at broadly the same regulatory stage of the approval process, awaiting security clearances and spectrum allocation.
The Ministry of Communications told reporters on the sidelines of the India Mobile Congress that the Department of Telecommunications has issued licenses and provisional spectrum to satcom companies, but final approvals remain pending for security checks. Information and technology minister Jyotiraditya Scindia also noted that previous efforts have successfully lowered data prices significantly and expanded consumer penetration across the nation.
Government authorities emphasized that the established regulatory framework is entirely fair and non-discriminatory, noting that applicants must clear all mandatory security conditions before moving forward to obtain spectrum. Independent security questions have also been raised by critics concerning low Earth orbit satellite networks traveling at extreme speeds and their potential use for monitoring domestic territory, though government officials maintained that standard compliance protocols apply equally to all entities seeking authorization.
Rivals Race To Capture Satellite Market
Behind the political rhetoric lies a high-stakes race to capture India’s emerging satellite broadband market. Analysts note that every month of waiting gives domestic rivals more time to build out competing infrastructure. Reliance Jio has unveiled plans for its own constellation comprising roughly 1,600 satellites and 23 ground stations across the country.
SpaceX executive Lauren Dreyer, who oversees Starlink’s business operations, stated that the company had built 20 gateway sites with hundreds of antennas across India and remains ready to deploy services complying with local regulations. Meanwhile, Bharti Airtel chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal confirmed that his company’s venture is similarly awaiting government approvals.
Industry experts such as Simon Baker, Senior Research Director for Satellite and Non-Terrestrial Connectivity at IDC, suggest that if the consumer market opened immediately, Starlink’s extensive system capacity and lower equipment costs could give it a strong initial foothold before domestic alternatives are fully established.
At the same time, companies like Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel signed agreements with SpaceX in March 2025 to distribute Starlink equipment and services in India, subject to government approval, to explore cooperative paths forward, even as the race for the least-served customer segments intensifies across the region.