India rejects Starlink allegations even as Musk escalates attack

In a post on X, Musk said Starlink was licensed in more than 165 countries and had spent five years complying with Indian laws and government requirements.

“So why still no license?” he asked. “Is Ambani the real boss of India?” he added.

Gandhi responded to Musk’s post: “Welcome to India, Elon. Wait till you discover the other guy.”

Musk responded to Gandhi: “Thank you, Rahul. This is indeed troubling.”

The exchange came as Starlink, owned by Musk’s SpaceX, continues to await regulatory clearances to begin commercial operations in India. The company has received a Global Mobile Personal Communications by Satellite (GMPCS) licence from the government but is awaiting security clearance and spectrum assignment before it can begin commercial services.

In a statement issued earlier on Thursday, the Ministry of Communications said suggestions that India’s regulatory framework or its application was discriminatory were “baseless and misconceived”.

“A post is being circulated in social media regarding the fairness of India’s regulatory framework for satellite communication services and suggesting that it is being applied in a discriminatory manner. The Government has put in place a fair and non-discriminatory authorisation framework for all telecommunication services, including satellite communication services,” it said.

The ministry said telecom licences had been granted to three companies offering GMPCS services using non-geosynchronous satellite orbits -- Starlink, Eutelsat OneWeb, backed by Bharti Airtel, and Jio Satellite Communications.

Under the terms of their licences, all three are required to demonstrate compliance with security conditions aimed at ensuring the safety of users and their data, the ministry said.

“Security assessment as part of this process is currently under way in respect of all the three licensees,” it said, adding that the companies were at “broadly the same regulatory stage”.

The government’s statement did not name Musk or Ambani and did not directly address Musk’s allegation involving the Reliance Industries chairman.

Musk’s latest post followed his allegation on Wednesday that Starlink was being blocked by “certain oligarchs” seeking to maintain their “monopolistic chokehold on the Indian people”.

“You can guess who they are … This is a crime against the people of India!” Musk said, responding to a post calling for Starlink to be allowed to begin commercial operations in India.

At the India Mobile Congress on Wednesday, Starlink vice-president Lauren Dreyer said the company had built its India operations around the country’s security requirements and had established 20 gateway sites comprising hundreds of antennas.

“We are ready to serve in India, once India is ready,” she said.

Starlink has also partnered with Bharti Airtel to explore bringing its services to Indian consumers and businesses, as well as connecting communities, schools and health centres in rural areas.