SpaceX CEO Elon Musk on Thursday questioned the influence of Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani, suggesting his role in the continued delay of Starlink’s satellite internet service launch in India. In a series of posts on the social media platform X, Musk alleged that certain “oligarchs” were preventing the service from entering the market.
Musk stated that Starlink had not been permitted to launch despite having spent “five years complying with every single law and requirement” from the government. He later posted, “Is Ambani the real boss of India?” This followed an earlier comment in which he mentioned “oligarchs” in the country maintaining a “monopolistic chokehold on the Indian people.”
The comments drew a response from Rahul Gandhi, a prominent leader of India’s opposition party. Gandhi posted on X, “Wait till you meet the other one,” a statement widely interpreted as a reference to businessman Gautam Adani. Musk replied to Gandhi’s post, writing, “This is indeed troubling.”
Mukesh Ambani is the chairman of Reliance Industries, whose subsidiary, Jio Platforms, is India’s largest telecommunications operator. According to CNBC, Reliance Industries did not respond to a request for comment.
Starlink, SpaceX’s satellite internet division, received a preliminary license to operate in India in July of the previous year. However, the service has not yet received final approval to begin operations. A Bloomberg report published earlier this year stated that the Indian government had frozen approvals for Starlink, citing concerns that its user terminals could be activated in areas where the service was not officially licensed.
Jio Platforms has also announced its intention to enter the satellite communications sector. Akash Ambani, managing director of Jio Platforms, informed shareholders in June of the company’s plans to roll out low-orbit satellite communications. According to Indian media reports, Jio is planning a network of approximately 1,600 satellites and 23 ground stations.
In a statement to the Indian news outlet Moneycontrol, Akash Ambani said the company believes “India needs its own indigenous stack of technologies.” In contrast, Starlink currently operates a constellation of over 11,000 satellites providing service in more than 170 countries and territories.
