Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) has formally responded to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk’s allegations that domestic corporate interests are blocking Starlink’s rollout in India. The Mukesh Ambani-led conglomerate asserted that it has “never feared competition” and noted that Jio’s own satellite communications venture remains subject to the same pending government clearances.
The clarification comes in the wake of sharp social media posts by Musk, who accused domestic telecom leaders of maintaining a “monopolistic chokehold” on the Indian broadband market. Musk directly singled out RIL Chairman Mukesh Ambani, mockingly referring to him as the “real boss of India” and sarcastically addressing him as “Prime Minister Ambani” while questioning regulatory delays facing Starlink.
Reliance Cites Level Playing Field and Rule of Law
Rebutting the monopoly allegations, Reliance highlighted that statutory compliance applies universally to both foreign and homegrown enterprises.
“At Reliance, we have never feared competition. We see it as the truest test of who serves the customer best,” the conglomerate said in an official statement. Pointing to its telecom track record, RIL noted that Reliance Jio entered an already crowded market as a greenfield operator in 2016 and expanded to serve over 530 million subscribers by delivering affordable data and digital connectivity.
“We welcome competition in satellite communications, including Starlink. Every player, Jio included, must serve the people of India and abide by the laws and policies of the land,” the statement added, emphasizing that India’s economic environment remains open under the rule of law.
Regulatory Clearances Pending for All Satcom Players
The Ministry of Communications has similarly dismissed claims of preferential treatment, reiterating that India’s satellite communication policies are non-discriminatory. The Centre affirmed that all three licensed Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite (GMPCS) operators—Elon Musk’s Starlink, Reliance’s Jio Satellite Communications, and Bharti Enterprises-backed Eutelsat OneWeb—stand at broadly equivalent regulatory stages.
While all three entities possess GMPCS permits, none can initiate commercial operations without completing mandatory security compliance checks and receiving spectrum assignments.
Earlier this week at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum in New Delhi, Bharti Enterprises Chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal pointed out that Eutelsat OneWeb has been awaiting security clearances for over 18 months, having applied five years ago. Mittal stated that OneWeb’s ground stations have been operational for three years and its constellation has orbited over India for half a decade, placing it ahead of Starlink in the procedural timeline.
Infrastructure Expansion Continues Amid Scrutiny
Musk has argued that satellite broadband is crucial for bridging India’s digital divide, particularly in remote and rural pockets with limited physical telecom infrastructure. Starlink has reportedly reapplied to the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) for its second-generation constellation comprising nearly 30,000 low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites to offer direct-to-device connectivity.
According to Starlink executives, the company has established 20 gateway sites with hundreds of antennas across India, awaiting the final nod from security agencies before commercial activation.
