Elon Musk has accused unnamed “oligarchs” of blocking the launch of his Starlink satellite internet service in India. The Indian government calls the claim baseless, saying three providers are at the same stage of approval and all are undergoing security checks.
India has rejected Elon Musk’s claim that “certain oligarchs” are blocking the launch of his Starlink satellite internet service in the country, Al Jazeera reported on October 8.
What Musk Said
In a post on X on Wednesday, Musk said Starlink was being blocked so that unnamed individuals could “maintain their monopolistic chokehold on the Indian people”.
He called it a “crime against the people of India”.
The Government’s Reply
India’s Ministry of Communications defended its approval process as fair and non-discriminatory. Its statement on Thursday did not name Starlink or Musk.
“The suggestion that the framework or its application is unfair or discriminatory is baseless and misconceived,” it said.
The ministry said three different entities were at broadly the same regulatory stage, and that all were undergoing security assessments.
Who the Rivals Are
India’s telecommunications sector is dominated by two companies:
- Reliance Jio, owned by the billionaire Mukesh Ambani
- Bharti Airtel, owned by Sunil Mittal
Both have moved into satellite internet. They have secured early approvals, but are still waiting for final clearances.
Musk has clashed with both men before over how India should allocate spectrum. Last year the two companies agreed to distribute Starlink equipment alongside their own, but that cooperation appears to have soured.
How Long Starlink Has Waited
- 2022: Starlink begins waiting for licences to operate commercially in India
- Last year: it receives a key licence from the communications ministry and approval from India’s space agency
The Security Concerns
Concerns have grown since 2024, when Indian authorities said they found Starlink devices in a drug seizure in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and in an army operation in the state of Manipur.
Musk said at the time that Starlink’s satellite beams were “turned off over India” and “never on in the first place”.
The Row Continues
Musk has since repeated the claim, in a post addressed to “Dear Prime Minister Ambani”, the Indian news site Scroll reported.
The dispute has also entered domestic politics. The BJP has criticised opposition leader Rahul Gandhi over his response to Musk, the Indian Express reported.
Image: Starlink dishes on a ship, January 2025 (file photo, not in India). Photo by Ka23 13 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.
