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Elon Musk publicly asked whether Mukesh Ambani, chairman of Reliance Industries, is “the real boss of India,” escalating a dispute with the Indian government over the long-delayed launch of his Starlink satellite internet service in the country.
Musk made the remark on X on Thursday, hours after India’s Department of Telecommunications rejected his claim that domestic business interests were blocking Starlink. “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?” he wrote.
The day before, Musk had alleged on X that “certain oligarchs” were blocking Starlink to protect a “monopolistic chokehold” on the Indian market, without naming anyone.
The government says all operators are waiting
The telecom ministry said India’s licensing framework for satellite services is “fair and non-discriminatory” and called any suggestion that it was being applied selectively “baseless and misconceived.”
India has licensed three satellite internet companies: Starlink, Reliance Jio’s satellite venture Jio Satcom, and Eutelsat OneWeb, which is backed by Sunil Bharti Mittal’s Bharti group. None of them can start commercial services until security assessments and spectrum approvals are complete. “Security assessment as part of this process is currently under way in respect of all three licensees,” the ministry said, adding that the three companies are “broadly at the same regulatory stage.”
Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani, India’s minister of state for communications, said the matter is pending with the Ministry of Home Affairs. “As soon as it is cleared, they will get it. It has nothing to do with one company,” he told reporters at the India Mobile Congress in New Delhi.
The government’s position differs from Musk’s description. Starlink does hold an Indian license and provisional spectrum, and is waiting on a security clearance, not a license.
Rivals stay quiet
Mittal said his own satellite venture was in the same position. “We are waiting for our own approvals,” he said. Akash Ambani, managing director of Jio Platforms and Mukesh Ambani’s son, declined to comment, saying he had not seen Musk’s remarks.
Musk also denied claims that Starlink equipment had been used by militants in the northeastern state of Manipur, saying the service’s satellite beams are switched off over India.
Starlink says it is ready to launch. Lauren Dreyer, SpaceX’s vice president for Starlink business operations, said the company has built 20 gateway sites in India with hundreds of antennas and set up controls to keep Indian user data inside the country.
A battle of billionaires
The dispute pits the world’s richest person against India’s richest. Reliance Jio dominates Indian mobile and broadband alongside Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea, and satellite internet could open a new market in remote areas that ground networks don’t reach. Jio and Airtel have both struck distribution agreements to sell Starlink equipment in India, even as they develop their own satellite services.
Musk’s SpaceX, which owns Starlink, went public in June, and his fortune is estimated at just above $1 trillion.
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