Elon Musk Accuses 'Oligarchs' of Blocking Starlink Launch in India

SpaceX founder Elon Musk has accused “certain oligarchs” of blocking the launch of his satellite internet service Starlink in India to protect their hold over the market, calling it “a crime against the people of India,” even as the Union government rejected the charge. The Telecom Ministry on Thursday, October 8, said satellite communication rules apply equally to all players and every licensee has to clear security checks before it can start services. Any suggestion that the framework or the way it is applied is unfair or discriminatory is “baseless and misconceived,” the ministry said in a statement. “We are being blocked by certain oligarchs in order to maintain their monopolistic chokehold on the Indian people,” Musk said in a post on X on Wednesday, October 7. He did not name anyone but added, “You can guess who they are.” The remark was widely seen as a veiled dig at Mukesh Ambani, whose Reliance Jio is the country’s largest telecom operator and also a rival in the satellite broadband race through Jio Satcom. Jio and Sunil Mittal-led Bharti Airtel together hold over 80 per cent of India’s telecom market, according to Telecom Regulatory Authority of India ( TRAI ) data. In a second post, Musk said Starlink would bring high-speed, affordable internet to those who cannot afford current prices, a claim that cuts close to Jio’s own pitch. Jio is widely credited with driving down mobile data prices after its launch a decade ago. Responding to what it called a post being circulated on social media questioning the fairness of India’s regulatory framework, the ministry said a “fair and non-discriminatory” authorisation regime is in place for all telecom services, including satellite communication. Three companies, Starlink, Jio Satcom and Eutelsat OneWeb, have been granted licences but need security clearance and spectrum before they can start services. Under the licence conditions, every licensee has to demonstrate compliance with security requirements meant to protect users and their data, the ministry said. “Security assessment as part of this process is currently under way in respect of all three licensees,” it said, adding that a company can seek spectrum assignment only after the process is completed. “At present, all three entities are broadly at the same regulatory stage,” the statement said. The row drew a political response in Telangana, with Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president K T Rama Rao asking Musk to reveal who he was referring to. “Elon, Name and shame the oligarchs. The nation (India) wants to know who has got this stranglehold on our government,” Rama Rao posted on X. Starlink got its licence last year. SpaceX had in March 2025 announced agreements with both Jio and Airtel to distribute Starlink services in India, but the service is yet to be launched. Bloomberg had reported earlier that regulators had put Starlink’s approvals on hold over concerns about its terminals being used in the country before the service was cleared. The company has denied the concerns. Jio Platforms announced in June that it would roll out low-earth orbit satellite services. Akash Ambani told shareholders the company was partnering with global constellation operators to lease capacity for a quick rollout. Speaking at the India Mobile Congress on Wednesday, Lauren Dreyer, SpaceX’s vice president for Starlink business operations, said the company has about 11,000 satellites in orbit serving users in over 170 countries. She said Starlink had been “working for years” in India to take internet to remote areas and referred to its tie-ups with Airtel and Jio.