Reliance Industries released a statement on Friday saying it welcomes Starlink’s entry into India. The conglomerate said it has never feared competition, pointing to Jio’s 2016 entry into the telecom market and its current 530‑million‑customer base. It also noted that its own satellite services are awaiting clearance.
Elon Musk, on X, accused the conglomerate of protecting a monopoly. He said, “The ridiculous arguments by Ambani’s army of internet shills make no sense.” Musk added that greater competition would benefit consumers, even if it lowered profits for incumbents. He is pushing for Starlink’s commercial launch.
Union communications minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said India will not allow a monopoly in satellite communications. He said three entities—Jio, Eutelsat OneWeb and Starlink—are in line for final approval of commercial licences. He also said the government is close to deciding on the pricing framework for satellite services.
Starlink has not yet received clearance because it has not agreed to the regulation that requires satellite internet providers to set up domestic base stations and meet security criteria. A base station is a radio transmitter‑receiver that acts as the first hop connecting end users to the network. The requirement ensures authorities can enforce compliance.
The government plans to issue licences next month, once Starlink meets the infrastructure and security conditions. The final pricing framework is expected to be announced by the end of June.