Elon Musk has accused Indian industrialist Mukesh Ambani of blocking the launch of his Starlink satellite broadband service in India, in posts on X on Friday and Saturday.
Musk wrote that powerful business interests were seeking to “maintain their monopolistic chokehold on the Indian people”. He also addressed Ambani as “Prime Minister Ambani” and asked whether he would allow Starlink to compete.
On Saturday he shared media reports from 2022 and 2024 about a Reliance-funded firm and a Reliance-linked company’s political donations to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Reliance has not publicly responded to the allegations.
Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Friday that India does not permit monopolies in any sector. He said three companies have received satellite communication licences and can begin operations once they meet security requirements and milestones.
The Indian government has said its authorisation framework for telecom and satellite services is “fair and non-discriminatory”, and that any suggestion it is applied selectively is “baseless and misconceived”.
Musk said many parts of India have no internet access and that Starlink could help in disasters when other networks fail.
