Musk asks if Ambani is real boss of India as Starlink waits

Elon Musk has asked whether Mukesh Ambani is the “real boss of India” after his satellite internet service Starlink was left waiting for final approvals to launch in the country.

The SpaceX founder made the remark on X on Thursday, a day after he accused unnamed “oligarchs” of maintaining a “monopolistic chokehold” on Indian consumers. He then singled out Ambani, whose Reliance conglomerate owns Jio, India’s largest mobile network operator.

“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?” Musk wrote.

India rejected the allegation. The Ministry of Communications said its satellite communications framework was fair and non-discriminatory, and described any suggestion of unfair treatment as baseless and misconceived. It said three licensed operators, Starlink, Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio Satellite Communications, were at broadly the same stage of the approval process. All three are waiting for security clearances and spectrum allocation before commercial services can begin.

Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia told reporters at the India Mobile Congress in Delhi that security clearances rest with the Ministry of Home Affairs, which will take the final decision. He said commercial services depend on the finalisation of revenue-based spectrum charges and compliance with security requirements. Amazon’s Project Kuiper has also applied for a licence but has yet to receive one.

Starlink’s position in India is more advanced than the row suggests. The company received a Global Mobile Personal Communications by Satellite licence from the Department of Telecommunications in June 2025 and clearance from space regulator IN-SPACe a month later. It still needs security clearance, approval for its foreign direct investment and spectrum assignment. At the India Mobile Congress, Lauren Dreyer, who oversees Starlink business operations at SpaceX, said the company had built more than 20 gateway sites in India, kept Indian user data within the country and was ready to serve customers once clearances arrive.

The dispute is complicated by existing business ties. In March 2025, Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel signed agreements with SpaceX to distribute Starlink equipment and services in India, subject to government approval. Jio and Airtel together control about 80 percent of the Indian telecom market.

Ambani and Reliance have not responded to Musk’s remarks. Akash Ambani, chairman of Reliance Jio Infocomm and Mukesh Ambani’s son, declined to comment when asked about the dispute. “We want to be heads down and deliver value to our Indian consumers,” he said at the event. Bharti Airtel chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal said his company’s satellite venture was also awaiting approvals. Musk later intensified his attack, sarcastically addressing Ambani as “Dear Prime Minister” and repeating his claim of monopolistic exploitation.

The exchange drew political attention. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi responded to Musk on X, writing, “Welcome to India, Elon.” Former union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar urged Musk to be patient and said India was prioritising security clearances before spectrum allocation.

Security has been a central issue in Starlink’s India entry. In 2024, Indian authorities recovered Starlink equipment during a drug smuggling investigation in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and an army operation in Manipur. Musk said at the time that the service had never been active in India and the equipment could not have used its network.

The contrast with Malaysia is stark. Starlink was licensed to operate in Malaysia in July 2023, when the regulator MCMC granted its local unit network facility and service provider licences and permitted it to run as a wholly foreign-owned company. Service has since gone commercial, and in May 2025 Starlink introduced a Residential Lite plan in Malaysia at RM129 a month, making it one of its cheaper markets. India’s delayed framework means Musk’s service, which sells in Malaysia today, still cannot sign up a single customer across the border.

Price remains another open question in India. Starlink has not announced Indian rates. In the United States, its residential plans start at USD 55 a month, a level that may put the service beyond many households in a market where access stays uneven in remote areas.