SpaceX founder Elon Musk has questioned whether Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani wields decisive influence over the country after his Starlink satellite internet service remains unable to launch in India commercially despite securing key licences.
“Is Ambani the real boss of India?” Musk wrote on X on Thursday, accusing powerful business interests of obstructing Starlink’s entry into the Indian market.
The remarks followed an earlier post in which Musk accused unnamed “oligarchs” of maintaining a monopolistic chokehold on the Indian people and called efforts to block Starlink a crime against the people of India.
India’s Ministry of Communications rejected allegations of unfair treatment, saying Starlink, Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio Satellite Communications were at broadly the same stage of the approval process.
All three are awaiting security clearances and spectrum allocation before launching commercial services, the ministry said. “The suggestion that the framework or its application is unfair or discriminatory is baseless and misconceived,” it added.
Musk said Starlink had spent five years complying with Indian government requirements and was licensed in more than 165 countries.
The dispute also drew a response from opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, who has repeatedly accused the government of favouring powerful businessmen.
Referring to Gautam Adani, India’s wealthiest businessman, Gandhi told Musk, “Wait till you meet the other one.”
“This is indeed troubling,” Musk replied.
The dispute comes as competition intensifies in India’s satellite internet market.
In March 2025, Reliance Jio and Airtel signed agreements with SpaceX to explore distributing Starlink equipment and services, subject to government approval.
Jio, India’s largest telecommunications operator, is also reportedly planning a network of around 1,600 low orbit satellites and 23 ground stations.
Starlink uses satellites orbiting relatively close to Earth to provide internet connectivity, particularly in remote areas where conventional broadband infrastructure is difficult or expensive to deploy.
Despite receiving a licence in July last year, the company still requires final clearances to begin operations.
