Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk has questioned the delay in granting Starlink final approval to start commercial services in India. Musk raised the issue on Thursday in a post on X. He said Starlink had spent five years complying with Indian laws and government requirements. He also said the company holds licences in more than 165 countries. “So why still no license?” Musk asked. He then questioned Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani's role in Starlink's delayed entry into India. “Is Ambani the real boss of India?” he added. Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi responded to Musk's post. “Welcome to India, Elon. Wait till you discover the other guy.” Musk later thanked Gandhi for his response. "Thank you, Rahul. This is indeed troubling," Musk said. The exchange came a day after Musk accused “certain oligarchs” of blocking Starlink in India. The Indian government rejected the allegation and defended the country's satellite communication rules.

Starlink Still Awaits Final Approvals

Starlink has already received a Global Mobile Personal Communications by Satellite (GMPCS) licence from the Indian government.  However, the company still needs security clearance and spectrum allocation before it can launch commercial services. Starlink's latest comments come as the company continues to wait for those approvals.

Government Rejects Musk's Claims

The Ministry of Communications rejected Musk's allegations. It described them as “baseless and misconceived”. The ministry said India follows a fair and non-discriminatory regulatory system for all telecom services. The framework also covers satellite communication companies. “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 three companies hold licences to provide GMPCS services through non-geosynchronous satellite orbits. The companies are Starlink, Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio Satellite Communications. Bharti Airtel backs Eutelsat OneWeb. The government said all three companies must meet security requirements under their licences. These requirements protect users and their data. “Security assessment as part of this process is currently under way in respect of all the three licensees,” it said. The ministry also said the three companies remain at “broadly the same regulatory stage”. The government did not mention Musk or Ambani by name. It also did not directly address Musk's allegation involving Ambani.

Musk Accuses ‘Oligarchs’ of Blocking Starlink

Musk first made the allegation on Wednesday. He responded to a post that urged India to allow Starlink to start commercial operations. He claimed that “certain oligarchs” wanted to preserve their “monopolistic chokehold on the Indian people”. “You can guess who they are … This is a crime against the people of India!” Musk said. The government responded by defending its regulatory process. It said India applies the same framework to satellite communication companies.

Starlink Says It Is Ready to Launch

Starlink has said it can start operations once it receives the remaining approvals. At the India Mobile Congress on Wednesday, Starlink Vice-President Lauren Dreyer said the company had built its Indian operations around the country's security requirements. Starlink has already established 20 gateway sites in India. The sites include hundreds of antennas. “We are ready to serve in India, once India is ready,” Dreyer said. Starlink has also partnered with Bharti Airtel. The companies plan to explore satellite internet services for Indian consumers and businesses. The partnership also aims to improve connectivity in rural areas. It could connect communities, schools and health centres that lack reliable internet access. Starlink must now complete the security clearance process and receive spectrum allocation before it can begin commercial operations in India.