‘Baseless, misconceived’: Govt rejects Musk’s ‘oligarch’ claim over Starlink block

The government on Thursday rejected Elon Musk’s claim that Starlink’s India plans were being blocked by “certain oligarchs”, saying the country’s satellite communication regulatory framework is fair and non-discriminatory. The ministry of communications said in a statement that all three licensed satellite communication operators are currently at broadly the same regulatory stage and are undergoing security assessments before they can seek spectrum assignment. "A post is being circulated in social media regarding the fairness of India’s regulatory framework for satellite communication services and suggesting that it is being applied in a discriminatory manner. The Government has put in place a fair and non-discriminatory authorisation framework for all telecommunication services, including satellite communication services. Under this, telecom licences have been granted to three Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite services based on non-geosynchronous satellite orbit based satellite communications, as part of its commitment to enable provision of satellite communication services in India. Under the terms and conditions of license, every such licensee is required to demonstrate compliance with security conditions," it said in a post on X. "This is aimed at ensuring that services provided meet various security requirements to ensure safety of all users and their data. Security assessment as part of this process is currently under way in respect of all the three licensees. As and when this process is completed for a licensed entity, it may proceed to the next step of seeking assignment of spectrum. At present, all the three entities are at broadly the same regulatory stage. As such, the suggestion that the framework or its application is unfair or discriminatory is baseless and misconceived," it added. Musk had alleged that Starlink was being blocked to protect a “monopolistic chokehold” in India, calling it “a crime against the people of India”. The ministry said security compliance is mandatory for all licensees to protect users and their data, and that the assessments are underway for all three operators. It termed suggestions of discriminatory regulation “baseless and misconceived”. Starlink, meanwhile, has said it has built 20 gateway sites in India and developed India-specific security controls. Speaking at India Mobile Congress on October 7, Starlink VP Lauren Dreyer said the company was “keeping Indian users’ data within India” and had invested in infrastructure to prepare for commercial operations.