Dear Prime Minister Ambani: Musk takes fresh swipe at Reliance chief over Starlinks India entry

Accusing Ambani of preferring to maintain what he described as “monopolistic exploitation” of Indians, Musk asked whether he would nevertheless consider allowing Starlink to enter the market and compete with existing players.

“Naturally, you would prefer to maintain your monopolistic exploitation of the great people of India, but would you nonetheless consider allowing Starlink to compete?” Musk said.

The latest remarks come amid a growing war of words over Starlink’s proposed entry into India, with Musk previously accusing unnamed “oligarchs” of attempting to block the service to protect their “monopolistic chokehold” on the Indian market.

The government has rejected allegations of discriminatory treatment, maintaining that India follows a fair and non-discriminatory authorisation framework for telecommunications services, including satellite communications.

It has also said that three satellite communication service providers are at broadly similar stages of the regulatory process.

Earlier in the day, Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia asserted that the country does not allow a monopoly in any sector.

Emphasising that three companies had already received satellite communication (satcom) licences, Scindia said the debate appeared to be centred on one particular company, even as the government maintained that all licence holders must meet the prescribed security requirements before commencing operations.

“India doesn’t allow monopoly in any sector,” Scindia said, stressing that satcom operators would be permitted to begin services only after individually fulfilling the stipulated security norms and other regulatory requirements.

Clarifying the next steps in the licensing process, the minister said the three licence holders would receive spectrum after the government finalised the revenue-sharing or charge mechanism.

He underlined that obtaining a licence alone did not automatically entitle a company to commence operations, as compliance with security requirements remained mandatory.