Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) issued a written statement pushing back against claims by Elon Musk that domestic business interests had been obstructing Starlink's entry into India, asserting that competition posed no threat to the conglomerate while also noting that regulatory approvals for Jio's own satellite operations remained outstanding.

Musk directed allegations at Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani, claiming that Ambani had moved to protect his telecom business. In a separate online post, Musk referred to Ambani as "Prime Minister Ambani" — a characterisation that a Reliance spokesperson disputed, stating that the company had consistently supported open competition in the market.

The conglomerate described the arrangement as the clearest measure of which party delivers greater value to the customer. Pointing to the government's position that domestic and foreign applicants face an identical approval process, Reliance noted that Jio's own satellite operations remained in the queue for regulatory clearance, adding through a statement that competition in satellite communications, Starlink included, was something the company supported.

The statement went on to note that all operators — Jio among them — are bound by the country's laws and policies, with an obligation to act in the public interest.

Reliance also cited Jio's arrival in India's telecom sector in 2016, noting the network has since accumulated a subscriber base exceeding 530 million. Jio's contribution to low-cost data access and digital infrastructure was referenced alongside an observation that attracting both domestic and foreign investment and innovation depends on a stable legal framework.

At the outset, Musk directed his allegations at unidentified business interests in India, asserting that those parties had worked to keep Starlink out of the market in order to protect their own dominant position, before naming Ambani directly. Musk put forward the view that satellite-based connectivity could extend internet reach into rural areas poorly served by existing infrastructure — places where patchy reception has historically narrowed educational opportunities and left local businesses disconnected from wider markets.

The government pushed back against Musk's claims that domestic telecom operators had received preferential treatment, stating that India's satellite communications framework operates on non-discriminatory terms. According to a statement from the communications ministry, each of the three licence holders — Starlink, Jio Satellite Communications (part of Reliance), and Eutelsat OneWeb, which has backing from Bharti Enterprises — remained subject to ongoing security vetting and stood at roughly equivalent points in the regulatory process.

The operators in question hold licences authorising the delivery of Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite — commonly abbreviated as GMPCS — through non-geostationary satellite networks. Proof of adherence to those security conditions is required to be on record before any spectrum assignment request moves forward. Possessing a telecom licence satisfies the regulatory floor for running a network, yet that authorisation does not extend to launching services on a commercial footing.

According to available reports, Eutelsat OneWeb's push to obtain security clearance for its low Earth orbit satellite network had been pending for upwards of 18 months following the company's compliance demonstration in January 2025. At the Bloomberg New Economy Forum in New Delhi, Sunil Bharti Mittal, who chairs Bharti Enterprises, told attendees that OneWeb had lodged its regulatory paperwork roughly five years before Starlink, placing it further along in the queue awaiting approval.

According to the company, its ground infrastructure had been operational for three years at that point, while its satellites had been circling above India for the previous five. Mittal expressed that approval arriving for OneWeb even a handful of days ahead of Starlink would be a welcome outcome.

Starlink has lodged a fresh application to the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe), seeking clearance for a next-generation constellation of close to 30,000 low-Earth orbit satellites that would bring with it capabilities including direct-to-device (D2D) connectivity. Dreyer, who oversees business operations at Starlink, told reporters this month that the company had put in place 20 gateway locations across India, each equipped with multiple antenna arrays.