DIGITAL ECONOMY · SUMMARY
Starlink in India: Musk’s accusations meet security scrutiny
Elon Musk accuses Mukesh Ambani of blocking Starlink’s launch in India. The Ministry of Communications rejects this interpretation and says the satellite operators concerned must still complete their security assessments before receiving spectrum.
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Starlink’s commercial launch in India still lacks final authorization, according to TechCrunch. The outlet reports a fresh attack by Elon Musk on Mukesh Ambani, chairman of Reliance Industries, made on Friday. Musk accuses him of blocking competition from the satellite service. These accusations are not substantiated by the reported evidence.
India’s Ministry of Communications says Starlink and other licensed satellite operators are undergoing security assessments required before spectrum allocation. It describes them as being at a broadly similar regulatory stage and rejects the idea that Starlink is being singled out for unfavorable treatment. Reliance Jio had not responded to TechCrunch’s request for comment.
The commercial relationship complicates this public confrontation. SpaceX signed distribution agreements last year with Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel to offer Starlink after obtaining the necessary approvals. The partners also have their own interests in satellite Internet: Jio has a joint venture with SES, while Airtel is a major shareholder in Eutelsat OneWeb.
The situation therefore combines commercial cooperation, competition and regulatory scrutiny. The established operational fact remains that Starlink lacks the go-ahead for commercial operations, despite approvals already obtained. The public statements do not make it possible to determine the exact cause of the delay or announce a launch date.