Musk asks if Ambani is ‘real boss of India’ as govt rebuts Starlink claims

• Elon Musk asks if Mukesh Ambani is the ‘real boss of India’ after the government rejects allegations of bias against Starlink.

• The DoT says security assessments are under way for Starlink, Jio Satcom and Eutelsat OneWeb.

• Starlink says it has built 20 gateway sites in India but cannot begin commercial operations until regulatory requirements are met.

The Indian government and Elon Musk engaged in a war of words on Thursday, 8 October after the department of telecommunications (DoT) rejected allegations that domestic business interests were blocking Starlink’s satellite internet services, prompting the tech billionaire to ask if 'Ambani is the real boss of India'.

The government earlier in the day rebutted the US business tycoon’s allegations that Starlink’s satellite communication services were being blocked, making it clear that compliance with security norms was mandatory for every satellite communication licensee in the country.

Within hours of the government’s response, Musk took to X to question whether Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani wielded decisive influence over the approval process.

'Starlink is licensed in over 165 countries and has spent five years complying with every single law and requirement of the government of India, so why still no license? Is Ambani the real boss of India?' Musk said in an X post.

The remarks came after the telecom ministry said the country’s authorisation framework for telecom and satellite services was “fair and non-discriminatory” and that any suggestion of its selective application was “baseless and misconceived”.

The government has licensed three companies — Musk’s Starlink, Reliance Jio’s satellite venture Jio Satcom and Bharti-backed Eutelsat OneWeb — but none can begin commercial services until the required security assessments and spectrum-related approvals are completed.

'Security assessment as part of this process is currently under way in respect of all three licensees,' the telecom ministry said in a statement.

Minister of state for communications Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani said the matter was pending with the ministry of home affairs (MHA) and was not specific to any one company. “The Department of Telecom has issued licences to all satcom companies as well as provisional spectrum. Now the issue is pending with MHA for security clearance. As soon as it is cleared, they will get it. It has nothing to do with one company,” Pemmasani told reporters on the sidelines of the India Mobile Congress.

The comments came a day after Musk alleged on X that “certain oligarchs” were blocking Starlink to protect a “monopolistic chokehold” on the Indian market. He did not identify any company.

Musk also rejected claims that Starlink services had been used by militants in Manipur, saying its satellite beams had been switched off over India and could not, therefore, have been used for any purpose there. 'Starlink in India would enable high-speed, affordable internet connectivity for those who can’t afford current prices or who don’t have a connection at all!' Musk said in another post.

India’s telecom market is dominated by Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea, while satellite broadband represents a potential new segment that could extend connectivity to remote and underserved areas.

Bharti Airtel chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal, whose group backs OneWeb, said his own satellite venture was also awaiting regulatory approvals. “We are waiting for our own approvals,” Mittal said at the India Mobile Congress when asked about Musk’s allegations.

Jio Platforms managing director Akash Ambani declined to comment, saying he had not seen Musk’s remarks.

The government’s response comes as the India Mobile Congress, the country’s flagship telecommunications industry event, is under way in New Delhi.

Starlink has said it is ready to begin operations in India. Lauren Dreyer, SpaceX’s vice-president for Starlink business operations, said on Wednesday that the company had invested in infrastructure specifically designed to meet Indian regulatory and security requirements.

Starlink has built 20 gateway sites in India, equipped with hundreds of antennas, and established controls intended to keep Indian user data within the country, Dreyer said.

Under the government’s framework, a licensed satellite operator can move to the spectrum-assignment stage once it completes the required security process. The telecom ministry said all three licensees were “broadly at the same regulatory stage”.

With PTI inputs