Musk questions Ambani’s clout, Centre hits back

World’s richest businessman Elon Musk sharpened a public quarrel over satellite internet on Thursday by asking whether one of India’s richest men decides who gets a licence. “Starlink is licenced 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 licence? Is Ambani the real boss of India?” he wrote on X, replying to a post that accused the Government of protecting crony capitalists.

The line landed while the India Mobile Congress was underway in the Capital and the telecom ministry was still responding to an earlier accusation. On Wednesday, Musk had said Starlink was “being blocked by certain oligarchs to maintain their monopolistic chokehold on the Indian people.” He added, “You can guess who they are… This is a crime against the people of India!” He named no firm then. The Thursday post removed the guesswork.

The Ministry of Communications rejected the charge. It said the authorisation framework for telecom and satellite services is “fair and non-discriminatory,” and called any suggestion that the rules were being applied selectively “baseless and misconceived.” Three companies hold licences: Musk’s Starlink, Reliance Jio’s satellite venture and Bharti-backed Eutelsat OneWeb. None may sell service until security assessments and spectrum-related approvals are finished. Officials said those assessments are underway for all three licensees, and the companies remain “broadly at the same regulatory stage.”

Minister of State for Communications Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani made the same point on the sidelines of the congress. The Department of Telecommunications has already issued licences and provisional spectrum, he said. What remains sits with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). “As soon as it is cleared, they will get it. It has nothing to do with one company.”

The dispute is not only about paperwork. Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea dominate India’s mobile market.

Satellite broadband is a newer lane, aimed at villages and terrain where towers are costly or slow to build. A post Musk replied to earlier this week cited more than 11,000 listed villages still without 4G coverage as of May. Musk has argued that Starlink would offer high-speed links to people who cannot afford current prices or who have no connection at all. He has also dismissed claims that Starlink terminals were used by militants in Manipur, writing that beams are switched off over India and therefore could not have been used for any purpose there.

Others in the room were careful. Bharti Airtel chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal, whose group backs OneWeb, said his satellite venture was awaiting approvals. Jio Platforms managing director Akash Ambani declined to comment, saying he had not seen Musk’s remarks. Neither company joined the argument in public.

SpaceX, for its part, says the hardware is already in place. Lauren Dreyer, vice-president for Starlink business operations, told Congress that the company has built 20 gateway sites in India, installed hundreds of antennas, and set controls to keep Indian user data in the country. Starlink’s case is that five years of compliance, a licence and ground equipment should now produce a commercial green light.

Under government rules, a licensed operator can move forward with spectrum assignment only after completing the security process. Once all three licensees complete this step, those waiting in the satellite queue can start paid service. The ministry says the queue is shared, but Musk has said twice in two days, and again in a personal note, that the wait is not neutral.

For those not in the industry, the situation is as straightforward as the official documents. If all clearances are given at once, satellite broadband will join mobile data as another option, especially in places without fibre cables or masts. If not, Elon Musk’s debate on X will continue: a service licensed in 165 countries is still unavailable in India, and the question of who controls access remains open.