{"id":2564,"date":"2026-10-10T08:32:47","date_gmt":"2026-10-10T08:32:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/2026\/10\/10\/elon-musk-blames-ambani-starlink-india-delay\/"},"modified":"2026-10-10T08:32:47","modified_gmt":"2026-10-10T08:32:47","slug":"elon-musk-blames-ambani-starlink-india-delay","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/2026\/10\/10\/elon-musk-blames-ambani-starlink-india-delay\/","title":{"rendered":"Elon Musk blames Mukesh Ambani for Starlink India delay"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<!-- Quick Adsense WordPress Plugin: http:\/\/quickadsense.com\/ -->\n<div class=\"9fece8afa224fd09e54b043d0febfb58\" data-index=\"1\" style=\"float: none; margin:10px 0 10px 0; text-align:center;\">\n<script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- NR ATF -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-8898941184964366\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"4839033563\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n<p>Elon Musk used his social\u2011media platform X on Friday to intensify accusations against Mukesh\u202fAmbani, the chairman of Reliance Industries, suggesting the Indian billionaire is preventing SpaceX\u2019s Starlink satellite\u2011internet service from entering the market. Musk\u2019s posts framed the issue as a monopolistic grip on India\u2019s telecom sector, questioning whether Ambani is \u201cthe real boss of India.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2> Musk\u2019s public criticism<\/h2>\n<p>In a series of messages, Musk argued that Starlink could deliver broadband connectivity to parts of India that remain offline, giving children better learning opportunities and allowing small businesses to reach customers worldwide. He wrote, \u201cNaturally, you would prefer to maintain your monopolistic exploitation of the great people of India, but would you nonetheless consider allowing Starlink to compete?\u201d The remarks were directed at Ambani, whom Musk mockingly called the country\u2019s \u201cprime minister.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Earlier in the week, Musk had alleged that unnamed \u201coligarchs\u201d were obstructing Starlink\u2019s launch to protect their own interests. The Ministry of Communications in India rejected that claim, stating that the nation\u2019s regulatory framework for satellite communications is \u201cfair and non\u2011discriminatory.\u201d On Thursday, Musk followed up with a direct question to his followers: \u201cIs Ambani the real boss of India?\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Regulatory context and competing interests<\/h2>\n<p>SpaceX has been pursuing a launch of its Starlink service in India for several years. Last year, the company signed distribution agreements with both Reliance\u202fJio, the telecom arm of Ambani\u2019s conglomerate, and Bharti Airtel, India\u2019s second\u2011largest telecom operator. Those agreements were intended to enable Starlink to roll out once the necessary approvals were secured.<\/p>\n<p>Despite obtaining key regulatory clearances, Starlink has not yet received final permission from New Delhi to commence commercial operations. In a Thursday statement, the Indian communications ministry explained that Starlink, along with two other licensed satellite operators, is undergoing security assessments that must be completed before spectrum can be allocated. The ministry emphasized that all three operators are at \u201cbroadly the same regulatory stage,\u201d directly refuting Musk\u2019s implication that Starlink is being singled out for special treatment.<\/p>\n<p>Reliance\u202fJio and Airtel are also preparing to launch their own satellite\u2011internet services. Jio has a joint venture with Luxembourg\u2011based SES, while Airtel holds a major stake in Eutelsat OneWeb, which is seeking to provide satellite connectivity across the country. The competition for satellite spectrum has been a point of contention; Musk\u2019s company advocated for an administrative allocation process, whereas Jio preferred an auction. Ultimately, the Indian government chose the administrative route for Starlink\u2019s spectrum.<\/p>\n<h2>Broader business challenges for Musk in India<\/h2>\n<p>India, home to over a billion internet users, represents a critical market for Musk\u2019s ventures. However, the challenges extend beyond Starlink. Tesla, Musk\u2019s electric\u2011vehicle manufacturer, entered the Indian market last year after prolonged anticipation but recorded only 699 vehicle registrations in its first twelve months, according to data cited by Electrek. High import duties nearly doubled the price of the Model\u202fY in India compared with its U.S. price. Although Tesla reduced prices earlier this year, its vehicles remain considerably more expensive than in the United States.<\/p>\n<p>The friction between Starlink and Reliance\u202fJio over spectrum allocation highlights the broader tension between Musk\u2019s ambitions and the entrenched interests of Indian business leaders. Reliance Industries owns India\u2019s largest telecom operator and collaborates closely with Prime Minister Narendra Modi\u2019s government on major infrastructure projects. This relationship adds a political dimension to Musk\u2019s public criticisms.<\/p>\n<p>India\u2019s telecom minister, Jyotiraditya\u202fScindia, responded to Musk\u2019s allegations on Friday, reiterating that the country \u201cdoes not allow a monopoly in any sector.\u201d The minister\u2019s statement underscored the government\u2019s stance that the regulatory process is being applied uniformly to all satellite operators seeking spectrum.<\/p>\n<p>As of now, Starlink\u2019s launch remains in limbo. The pending security assessments and spectrum allocation process continue to delay the service\u2019s commercial rollout, while Musk\u2019s public campaign against Ambani adds a layer of corporate rivalry to an already complex regulatory environment.<\/p>\n<p>Stakeholders across the Indian telecom landscape are watching the developments closely. If Starlink eventually receives approval, it could introduce a new source of competition for both Reliance\u202fJio and Airtel, potentially reshaping broadband access in a country where many regions still lack reliable internet connectivity. Conversely, continued delays may reinforce the market dominance of existing operators, sustaining the status quo that Musk has publicly challenged.<\/p>\n\n<div style=\"font-size: 0px; height: 0px; line-height: 0px; margin: 0; padding: 0; clear: both;\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Elon Musk intensified criticism of Reliance Industries chief Mukesh Ambani, accusing him of blocking Starlink\u2019s launch in India while the government says the process is fair.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":2565,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[299],"tags":[360,2813,2812,104,2758,2757],"class_list":["post-2564","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-elon-musk","tag-india-telecom","tag-mukesh-ambani","tag-reliance-jio","tag-satellite-internet","tag-starlink","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2564","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2564"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2564\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2565"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2564"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2564"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2564"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}