Musk needles Ambani over Starlink's India delay — government calls it "baseless"
Elon Musk needled Mukesh Ambani over Starlink's stalled India license, asking on X who really runs the country, while India's government dismissed claims that domestic business interests are blocking approval as "baseless and misconceived" — Starlink, Reliance Jio's satellite arm and Eutelsat OneWeb all hold licenses and provisional spectrum, but still need security clearance before launching commercial service, leaving the timeline for India entry uncertain.
Starlink's India rollout has turned into another war of words — this time with Musk aiming squarely at one name.
Musk had previously written that "we are being blocked by certain oligarchs in order to maintain their monopolistic chokehold on the Indian people... you can guess who they are," widely read as targeting Ambani (Reliance) and Sunil Bharti Mittal (Bharti). He went further this round, asking on X whether Ambani effectively runs the country and why Starlink still lacks a license despite complying with Indian law.
India's government rejected the suggestion that domestic business interests are blocking approval, calling it "baseless and misconceived." Officials said all three applicants — Starlink, Reliance Jio's satellite arm, and Bharti-backed Eutelsat OneWeb — have received licenses and provisional spectrum, but none can launch commercial service until the Home Affairs ministry completes security assessments and final spectrum clearance.
Jio and Airtel both struck distribution deals with Starlink in 2025, so a once-cooperative relationship now looks more adversarial. For shareholders, the timing of Starlink's commercial launch in one of the world's largest internet markets remains an open question.
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