Elon Musk has posted on X alleging that certain industrialists are "blocking" the entry of his company Starlink's satellite-based internet service in India.
The Indian government has issued a press release denying Musk's allegations.
The Ministry of Communications said on October 8 that India's satellite communications regulatory system is fair and non-discriminatory.
According to the government, three companies including Starlink are currently in the same regulatory phase of security investigation.
Musk said in a post on
Earlier, regarding the alleged blocking of Starlink in India, Musk had said that some "oligarchs" i.e. very influential businessmen are stopping Starlink from coming to India to protect their monopoly.
"Unfortunately, we are being blocked by certain industrialists to maintain their monopolistic hold on the Indian people. You can guess who they are... this is a crime against the people of India," he wrote in response to one of the posts.
In the post in which Musk shared this, it was written, "Access to fast internet is still limited in many villages and remote areas of India. Starlink claims that its satellite technology can provide high-speed internet in areas where fiber or mobile network is difficult to reach. The company has also prepared 20 gateway sites in India. Starlink can help in education, telemedicine, small business and connectivity in times of disaster. The company says that it is ready to start the service in India, but for this the remaining approvals and spectrum allocation are necessary.
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The Government of India has said that there is no discrimination against Starlink.
The Ministry of Communications said in a press release, "The rules and regulations of India's satellite communication services are fair and uniform for all. A post is being shared on social media, in which questions have been raised on the fairness of India's rules related to satellite communication services. It says that these rules are being implemented with discrimination."
The government has said that fair and non-discriminatory rules have been made for all telecom services, including satellite communication.
According to the government, "Three companies have been given telecom licenses for satellite communication services. All these companies will have to follow security related rules as per the license conditions."
The government said that its objective is to ensure that the services of these companies meet all the rules related to the security of users and their data.
According to the government, "The security investigation of all three companies is still ongoing. After this process of a company is completed, it can go to the next phase of spectrum allocation. At present all three companies are in almost the same regulatory stage. Therefore, to say that the rules or the way they are implemented is discriminatory, baseless and wrong."
What did Airtel say?
Telecommunication company Bharti Airtel has also rejected Elon Musk's allegation that his satcom company Starlink is being prevented from working in India.
Bharti Airtel Chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal said its satcom venture Eutelsat OneWeb is also awaiting approval to launch its services in India.
What is Starlink?
Starlink is the satellite internet service of Musk's company SpaceX. In this, instead of mobile towers or fiber installed on the ground, internet is provided through satellites in space.
The specialty of this technology is that it can provide internet even in those areas where laying fiber or installing mobile towers is difficult.
The Government of India has also said that satellite communication can help in increasing connectivity in rural, remote, hilly, border and maritime areas.
Since when is Starlink's entry stuck in India?
According to Business Standard, Starlink had started efforts to launch services in India in 2022. In June 2025, it got the license of GMPCS i.e. Satellite Communication Service from the Department of Telecommunications.
After this, spectrum was given for trial in September 2025. But to start the commercial service, some more processes including security approvals are yet to be completed.
What is the role of Jio and Airtel in this?
According to Reuters, the interesting thing is that two big potential rivals of Starlink in India, Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel have also partnered with it.
In March 2025, Jio and Airtel had signed agreements with Starlink.
Under these, both the companies will work towards making Starlink equipment available through their retail network.
However, these companies are also rivals of Starlink in the broadband service market.
Currently, three companies have obtained licenses for satellite internet in India - Starlink, Reliance Jio and Eutelsat OneWeb, which is backed by Bharti Group.
What was the dispute between Jio and Musk regarding spectrum?
There was a big controversy regarding spectrum during Starlink's entry in India.
Musk wanted the spectrum to be given to satellite companies in an administrative manner, while some Indian companies including Reliance Jio were in favor of auctioning the spectrum.
