Guwahati: SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has renewed his criticism of Mukesh Ambani amid delays in approving satellite communication services in India, with the Starlink chief sarcastically addressing the Reliance Industries chairman as “Prime Minister Ambani”.
In a post on X, Musk apologised sarcastically to Ambani for failing to recognise his influence in India. He alleged that the Reliance chairman wanted to protect his dominant market position instead of allowing Starlink to compete.
“Dear Prime Minister Ambani, please accept my humble apologies for not realising that you are the real boss of India. Naturally, you would prefer to maintain your monopolistic exploitation of the great people of India, but would you nonetheless consider allowing Starlink to compete?”
Musk also argued that Starlink could improve access to education and global markets for communities without internet connectivity. He said the service could also help save lives during natural disasters when other communication networks fail.
“There are many areas of India, as there are in all countries, with no Internet access, which denies children the opportunity for education and for small businesses the opportunity to sell their goods to a global market. Starlink would change their lives for the better. Also, Starlink has proven to be essential for saving lives during natural disasters throughout the world, when all other communications systems have failed, so you would also be helping save men, women and children throughout India.”
The dispute has unfolded through a series of posts Musk began publishing on Wednesday over the delay in regulatory approval for satellite communication services. The three licensed operators affected by the process are Starlink, Eutelsat OneWeb, backed by Sunil Bharti Mittal, and Reliance Jio, owned by Ambani.
Musk initially accused unnamed “certain oligarchs” of preventing Starlink from entering the Indian market, suggesting that their identities were no secret.
He named Ambani in a subsequent post and questioned whether the industrialist wielded decisive influence over the country’s affairs. His latest message continued the criticism by addressing him as “Prime Minister Ambani”.
The government has denied allegations of favouritism in the approval process. Addressing the issue at the India Mobile Congress, Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said three companies had obtained licences to provide satellite communication services, rather than Starlink alone.
Scindia said the government would assign spectrum after settling the framework for charges based on revenue. He added that operators could launch their services once they individually met the prescribed security requirements.“India does not allow monopoly in any sector,” the minister said.
He also said the government would remain neutral towards different technologies and service providers. According to Scindia, its responsibility was to make a range of services available and establish a clear regulatory framework, leaving consumers to choose their preferred service and provider.
He said predictable regulations would also allow companies to make investment decisions with greater clarity. The minister further said the government was close to finalising the pricing framework for spectrum used in satellite communication services.
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has submitted its recommendations, and the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is consulting the regulator on the matter.