Musk Targets Ambani Over Starlink India Delay
Original: Elon Musk intensifies attack on Ambani over Starlink India launch delay
Why This Matters
India, with 1B+ internet users, is one of Starlink's biggest untapped markets.
Elon Musk called Mukesh Ambani India's 'prime minister' on X, accusing him of blocking Starlink's launch to protect Reliance Jio's telecom dominance. India's Ministry of Communications denied the claims, citing standard security reviews.
Elon Musk escalated his public campaign against Mukesh Ambani on Friday, posting on X that Ambani prefers 'monopolistic exploitation' of Indians and directly asking whether he would 'allow Starlink to compete.' Earlier in the week, Musk had accused unnamed 'oligarchs' of blocking Starlink to protect their business interests. He then went further Thursday with a pointed question: 'Is Ambani the real boss of India?'
India's Ministry of Communications pushed back, saying its satellite communications framework is 'fair and non-discriminatory' and that Starlink, along with two other licensed operators, is undergoing mandatory security assessments. The ministry stressed all three are at 'broadly the same regulatory stage,' directly contradicting Musk's singling-out narrative.
SpaceX has been trying to crack the Indian market for years. Paradoxically, it even signed distribution deals last year with both Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel — the very companies it now competes against — in hopes of accelerating approvals. Jio runs a satellite JV with Luxembourg's SES; Airtel holds a major stake in Eutelsat OneWeb. Neither Jio nor the Indian government has approved Starlink for commercial operations, despite it clearing several key regulatory hurdles. Reliance Jio did not respond to a request for comment.