Some oligarchs blocking entry of Starlink in India: Elon Musk

Elon Musk has hit out at "certain oligarchs", who he alleged were "blocking" Starlink's entry into India. The trillionaire's comments came on a day when Starlink, the company owned by him, said at India Mobile Congress (IMC) that it was ready to start service here as soon as "India is ready". "Unfortunately, we are being blocked by certain oligarchs in order to maintain their monopolistic chokehold on the Indian people. You can guess who they are... This is a crime against the people of India!" Musk said on X in response to a post, which said Starlink was needed here due to the large number of villages still not having broadband connectivity. "Starlink in India would enable high-speed, affordable Internet connectivity for those who can't afford current prices or who don't have a connection at all," Musk further said on X late Wednesday night. Starlink has already built 20 gateway sites in India and developed India-specific security controls to keep Indian user data within the country, said Lauren Dreyer, VP of Starlink business operations, at IMC Wednesday. Dreyer said Starlink hopes to start satellite broadband services in India "as soon as" all approvals are granted, amid buzz that Sunil Bharti Mittal-backed Eutelsat OneWeb and Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Jio may get the green signal earlier, given the impasse in trade talks between the US and India. "For years we have been setting the foundation for same type of relationship (that Starlink has in countries where it operates) here in India, establishing MoUs with Jio, Airtel and more, working closely with state govts to learn how Starlink might be able to serve best once it is authorised," said Dreyer. "Starlink can help reach places where the last mile is still the hardest mile, working alongside India's operators, govt and industry. As India works through the final approvals, our message is simple: We stand ready to serve India, as soon as India is ready," she said on X. With the now-disbanded Digital Communications Commission (DCC) recently clearing Trai recommendations on satellite spectrum allocations, satellite service providers are likely to receive spectrum for five years and they will be required to pay a spectrum usage charge (SUC) equivalent to 5% of adjusted gross revenue (AGR). There is likely to be lower SUC for companies providing satellite connectivity to rural and remote areas where terrestrial broadband infra is limited. Eutelsat OneWeb, Reliance Jio and Starlink were awaiting clarity on spectrum allocation to begin commercial satellite broadband services. Starlink has secured a licence and established ground infrastructure to meet regulatory and enforcement requirements. Dreyer said: "With SpaceX AI, we are building AI to compute at an enormous scale in orbit to fully harness the power of the sun. Starlink is providing high-speed connectivity to places where traditional infrastructure has been unable to reach and serve.