Starlink's push to operate in India has drawn renewed attention after an online exchange between Elon Musk and Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani put the satellite internet venture's long-pending market entry back under the spotlight, with the company restating its readiness to deliver broadband access across the country.
Through a post on X published on Friday, Starlink outlined that it had devoted considerable time engaging with Indian regulators and industry stakeholders in preparation for its planned service rollout. Points of infrastructure the firm had put in place domestically were also drawn into focus, with a statement from the company contending that those networks had been built to handle local internet traffic in a protected manner.
At the heart of the matter lies a dispute over approvals for satellite communications services, with Musk having raised objections to the pace at which Starlink has been permitted to operate, while Reliance put forward a position upholding the country's regulatory process and its own history within the market.
In a written statement posted on X, Starlink noted that five years of engagement with regulators, industry bodies, and operators in India had preceded its current position. The company stated it had spent that period coordinating with those parties, putting in place a dedicated network of gateways and related infrastructure located entirely within the country to handle Indian traffic — all of it, the company said, carried out under the necessary government approvals.
The company's announcements arrive at a moment when it has yet to confirm that the regulatory approvals needed to bring its satellite internet service to market are actually in place.
A response from Reliance Industries came out on Friday, prompted by remarks Musk had directed at the conglomerate's position within India's satellite communications sector. Addressing what it described as a need to correct the record, Reliance issued a formal response to recent public commentary directed at the company and the broader Indian market.
Any investment or innovation activity — regardless of whether it originates domestically or from abroad — aligns with the nation's established laws, the conglomerate indicated. Reliance noted that it had expanded within a broader business environment where investment and innovation, whether domestically developed or sourced from abroad, are drawn in by the prospect of improving conditions for the population, and that legal frameworks form the foundation on which that kind of openness depends.
Officials confirmed that the review procedure treats every applicant on equal footing, regardless of whether they hold Indian citizenship or come from abroad. Regulatory approvals for Jio's own satellite operations remain pending, even as the firm voiced backing for broader competition in the sector, alongside an insistence that every provider operating in India adhere to the country's applicable laws and policies.
The document went on to note that rivalry in satellite communications, Starlink included, is viewed as a positive development. Jio, alongside every other operator in the market, carries a responsibility to serve India's population and function within the country's legal framework — a point the company raised while also disputing the idea that it regards competitors as a threat.
Jio's own arrival in that same market — back in 2016, without a single subscriber to its name — was cited by the company as the starting point for the expansion and subscriber growth it went on to achieve. Within a decade, Jio had built a subscriber base exceeding 530 million and positioned India among countries offering comparatively affordable data and developed digital networks, the statement noted.
Separately, on 7 October, the SpaceX chief voiced concerns about the licensing procedures and contended that certain business figures in India were obstructing Starlink's path to market entry. Though the post characterised the alleged obstruction as a crime against the people of India, no individual was named in that opening message. By the following day, Musk had grown more pointed, raising questions about the degree to which Ambani shapes the country's policy decisions, with Starlink's foothold in overseas markets forming the basis of his argument against the delay.
In one post, Musk noted that Starlink held operating licences in more than 165 countries and had spent five years meeting every legal and regulatory requirement set by Indian authorities, then questioned why a licence had not yet been granted. In a separate post directed at Ambani, he wrote that he offered his apologies for not recognising that Ambani held the real power in India.
The country's communications ministry also weighed in on the Starlink licensing dispute, responding to allegations of unequal treatment in the sector without naming Elon Musk in its official remarks. In a formal statement, the ministry put forward the position that its satellite communications framework operates on equal and open terms, while characterising the allegations of differential treatment as unfounded and without merit.
