Musk Says Ambani Is Blocking Starlink, but India Says Security Comes First
Musk Says Ambani Is Blocking Starlink, but India Says Security Comes First
SpaceX’s push into India has been a long, stop-start campaign. Starlink first sought to launch there in 2021, but refunded equipment preorders in early 2022 after authorities said it was offering services without the necessary licences. Since then, it has won key approvals, built local infrastructure and struck distribution agreements with Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel — even as both telecom giants pursue satellite ventures of their own.
The dispute had already exposed a clash over the rules of entry. Starlink wanted satellite spectrum assigned administratively; Jio argued for an auction, which could have made market access costlier. New Delhi ultimately chose administrative allocation, backing Starlink’s preferred approach. Yet commercial service remains on hold.
This week, Musk turned that delay into a frontal political attack. In a post aimed at Reliance chair Mukesh Ambani, he wrote: “Dear Prime Minister Ambani, Please accept my humble apologies for not realizing that you are the real boss of India.” Musk argued that Starlink could connect remote communities, broaden educational access and help businesses reach customers beyond India.
The Indian communications ministry rejects the premise. It says the satellite-communications framework is “fair and non-discriminatory,” and that Starlink and two other licensed operators are at “broadly the same regulatory stage” while security assessments are completed before spectrum is issued.
Musk has cast the issue as one of public need as well as competition, saying Starlink can save lives when disasters knock out conventional networks. For New Delhi, however, the unresolved gate is security clearance — not a concession to one billionaire’s rival. For Jio and Airtel, the irony is sharper: they may distribute Starlink if it launches, while building services designed to compete with it.
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