Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, once again issued sharp criticism on Friday regarding the delay of the commercial launch of Starlink in India, directing his remarks to billionaire Mukesh Ambani.
In his post on the social network X, Musk addressed the chairman of Reliance Industries as 'Ambani the Prime Minister,' asserting that he is the 'real boss of India,' and questioned the reason why Starlink has not yet received the necessary permissions to begin commercial operations.
Musk wrote: 'Dear Prime Minister Ambani, please accept my humble apologies for not realizing that you are the real boss of India. Naturally, you would prefer to maintain your monopolistic exploitation of the great Indian people, but could you still consider allowing Starlink to compete?'
He argued that Starlink is capable of improving internet access in underserved areas of the country, especially for children seeking education and for small businesses looking to enter international markets.
Musk added: 'In many parts of India, as in all countries, there is no internet access, which deprives children of the opportunity to receive an education, and small businesses of the opportunity to sell their goods on the global market. Starlink will change their lives for the better. Thank you.'
Musk's latest comments came a day after he accused unnamed Indian business groups of obstructing Starlink's market entry to protect their positions. He claimed that 'certain oligarchs' were hindering the companies, aiming to maintain 'monopolistic control over the Indian people.'
The Indian government rejected these accusations, insisting that the delay is related to pending regulatory and safety requirements, rather than favoring domestic telecommunications companies.
At the Indian Mobile Congress (IMC) 2026 in New Delhi, Union Minister of Communications Jyotiraditya Scindia stated that India will not allow a monopoly in any sector, and that three satellite communication operators have received licenses. These include Reliance Jio Satcom, Eutelsat OneWeb, supported by Bharti Airtel, and Starlink. Amazon, with its Kuiper project, also expressed interest in entering the market and will undergo the standard evaluation procedure.
Scindia reported that the government is finalizing the satellite spectrum pricing system while the Ministry of Home Affairs and other agencies conduct security assessments. Commercial operations can commence after the companies meet the established requirements. The government also stated that security clearances remain incomplete for all three licensed operators, refuting the assumption that only Starlink faces regulatory difficulties.
