By Anjali Sharma
WASHINGTON – Tesla and SpaceX CEO and founder of the satellite internet services provider Starlink, Elon Musk on Thursday questioned the delay in getting licence and doubled down on claim, asked if “Ambani is the real boss of India,” a day after alleged that “certain oligarchs” are blocking Starlink’s India entry.
Musk said that Starlink is licenced in over 165 countries and has spent 5 years complying with every single law and requirement of the government of India.
He said that Starlink is licenced in over 165 countries and has spent five years complying with every single law and requirement of the government of India in response to a social media post on X.
“So why still no licence? Is Ambani the real boss of India?” he asked.
Musk’s latest attack, apparently targeted Mukesh Ambani, India’s richest person, came hours after the Ministry of Communications refuted his claims that vested interests were blocking Starlink’s entry into India’s telecom sector.
He asserted that those who oppose his satellite internet services “hurt” only the least-served as several users on X questioned his intentions behind Starlink’s India entry.
“The wealthy or those living in large cities already have good Internet, so they don’t understand.”
The advocate Nitin Meshram, Musk claimed that Starlink would help in areas that have bad or no internet coverage.
“Starlink will be of great help to areas of India that have bad or no Internet and even no mobile coverage. No country has perfect coverage, including America, but Starlink can fill in the coverage gaps for those who most need it,” he said.
The series of posts comes after the Ministry of Communication dispelled Musk’s earlier posts that claimed that Starlink plans were being blocked by ‘certain oligarchs’.
The Ministry said that the Government had put in place a fair and non-discriminatory authorization framework for all telecommunication services, including satellite communication services.
“Under the terms and conditions of license, every such licensee is required to demonstrate compliance with security conditions. This is aimed at ensuring that services provided meet various security requirements to ensure safety of all users and their data. Security assessment as part of this process is currently under way in respect of all the three licensees. As and when this process is completed for a licensed entity, it may proceed to the next step of seeking assignment of spectrum. At present, all the three entities are at broadly the same regulatory stage. As such, the suggestion that the framework or its application is unfair or discriminatory is baseless and misconceived,” the statement from the Ministry read.
Musk alleged that the company was being blocked by ‘certain oligarchs’ in a reply to a post on X that had claimed to cite reasons for why India needs Starlink,.
He said, “Unfortunately, we (Starlink) are being blocked by certain oligarchs in order to maintain their monopolistic chokehold on the Indian people. You can guess who they are … This is a crime against the people of India.”
Vice President, Starlink Business Operations Lauren Dreyer while speaking at India Mobile Congress 2026 said the company had developed India-specific security controls and has built 20 gateway sites in India, adding, the company is “keeping Indian users’ data within India.”
Dreyer said Starlink has invested in building the infrastructure required to serve the Indian market.
He added that the company has already invested in and built ground infrastructure in India, including 20 gateway sites with hundreds of antennas, and established operations to begin serving the market.
