Elin Musk's target this time is India. "Certain oligarchs are blocking us"

Billionaire Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, claimed that his company Starlink, which provides internet service via satellite, was prevented from entering the Indian market by local interests.

Musk accused his rivals, whom he targeted without naming them, of "committing crimes against the people of India" and argued that "some oligarchs" who wanted to maintain their market monopoly were behind Starlink's failure to operate in the country.

India's telecommunications and internet market is dominated by Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Jio and Sunil Mittal's Bharti Airtel.

These two giant companies together control more than 80 percent of the market share in the country.

In his statement on social media platform X, Musk said, "We are being blocked by certain oligarchs who want to maintain their monopolistic pressure on the people of India. You can guess who they are."

Musk also added that Starlink will provide fast and affordable internet for those who cannot afford current prices.

Following Musk's statements, the Indian government described claims that the regulatory framework was unfair or discriminatory as "baseless and ill-constructed".

According to the Reuters agency, India's Ministry of Communications announced that three companies providing global satellite communications services have been given preliminary permission, these businesses are at a similar regulatory approval stage, and each of them must pass a security assessment.

The company name or Musk's name was not directly included in the ministry statement.

The waiting period in India has been going on for four years for Starlink due to reviews regarding frequency allocation and security conditions.

The concerns of security units are also related to the Starlink devices seized in the country at the end of 2024.

Authorities noted that Starlink equipment was seized in a drug operation in the Andaman and Nicobar islands and in a search carried out by the army in Manipur state.

Musk, on the other hand, argues that satellite signals were never activated over India and were kept turned off during this process.

New Delhi authorities had previously suspended approval processes on suspicion that the terminals could be used without permission.

Two billionaires Mukesh Ambani and Sunil Mittal had previously had a disagreement with Musk due to frequency allocation processes, and the parties later signed preliminary agreements for the distribution of Starlink devices in the country.

Last year, SpaceX announced that it had reached an agreement with both Jio and Airtel to offer Starlink services across India.

However, despite these partnerships, Starlink's commercial debut in the country could not be made.

Jio Platforms had also publicly announced its plans to provide internet via low-altitude satellites in June.

Company manager Akash Ambani told shareholders that they are conducting capacity rental partnerships with global constellation providers in order to establish a fast satellite connection network.

Available data predicts that India's satellite broadband internet market will reach a size of $1.9 billion by 2030.

SpaceX Vice President of Commercial Operations Lauren Dreyer stated that the company has more than 11 thousand active satellites in orbit and serves more than 170 countries.

Noting that the company is working to close the digital gap in remote regions, Dreyer stated that they have been operating in India for a long time in line with the memorandum of understanding signed with Airtel and Reliance Jio.

The timing of the developments is also reflected in diplomatic contacts.

The Washington administration brings Starlink's market access to the table as a sign of goodwill in its trade negotiations with countries affected by customs duties.

However, despite the framework established between New Delhi and Washington in February, a final trade agreement has not yet been reached.