India’s government has rejected Elon Musk’s claim that “certain oligarchs” are blocking Starlink from launching in the country. In a statement on Thursday, October 8, the Ministry of Communications called the suggestion that its rules are unfair or discriminatory “baseless and misconceived,” Business Standard reported.
What Musk said
On Wednesday, Musk wrote on X that “we are being blocked by certain oligarchs in order to maintain their monopolistic chokehold on the Indian people,” and added, “You can guess who they are.” He named no one, and Forbes noted it is unclear whom he meant. Forbes also reported that India’s two largest telecom companies, Reliance Jio and Airtel, each announced deals with SpaceX last year to offer Starlink once it is approved.
What the government said
The ministry said India has a “fair and non-discriminatory authorisation framework” for all telecom services, satellite included. Three satellite operators hold licences, and a security assessment is under way for all three, after which each can seek spectrum. “At present, all the three entities are at broadly the same regulatory stage,” it said, according to Business Today. The statement did not name them. Forbes identified the three as Starlink, Jio Satellite Communications and OneWeb India Communications.
Where Starlink stands
SpaceX’s Lauren Dreyer told the India Mobile Congress this week that Starlink has built 20 gateway sites with hundreds of antennas in India and is “standing ready to serve India once India is ready,” Business Standard reported. Forbes says she hopes for final approval by next year, and the government has set no timeline.
Our take: both sides can be right about their own piece. Musk is describing a business that has waited, and the ministry is describing a process it says applies to everyone equally. The checkable facts are narrower: Starlink has a licence, a security assessment is pending, and no service date is set. Musk has not said who the oligarchs are, and without evidence either way this is words against words. We covered another Starlink dispute in Musk vs Delta: What Is Behind the Starlink Wi-Fi Feud.
