Musk escalates attack on Ambani over Starlink's India delay

Elon Musk has escalated his public attack on Mukesh Ambani, the billionaire chairperson of Reliance Industries, mockingly calling him India’s “prime minister” to suggest he wields outsized control over the country’s government, and accusing him of blocking Starlink’s satellite internet service from competing in India.

In a post on X on Friday, Musk continued his criticism of Ambani, arguing that Starlink could bring internet access to areas that remain unconnected, giving children more opportunities to learn and helping small businesses reach customers worldwide. “Naturally, you would prefer to maintain your monopolistic exploitation of the great people of India, but would you nonetheless consider allowing Starlink to compete?” Musk wrote. Reliance Jio, Reliance Industries’ telecom arm, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The comments follow accusations Musk made earlier this week that unnamed “oligarchs” were blocking Starlink’s launch in India to protect their business interests, a claim India’s Ministry of Communications rejected, saying the country’s regulatory framework for satellite communications is fair and non-discriminatory. Musk went further on Thursday, directly questioning whether Ambani was the real power behind the Indian government.

SpaceX has spent years trying to launch Starlink in India. Last year, it struck distribution agreements with Ambani’s Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel, India’s second-largest telecom operator, to offer the service once it received the necessary approvals. Starlink has still not received the go-ahead from New Delhi to begin commercial operations, despite securing key regulatory clearances. The communications ministry said in its Thursday statement that Starlink and two other licensed satellite operators are undergoing security assessments that must be completed before receiving satellite spectrum, and that all three are at broadly the same regulatory stage, rejecting Musk’s suggestion that Starlink is being singled out. Jio and Airtel are also seeking to launch their own satellite services: Jio has a joint venture with Luxembourg-based SES, while Airtel is a major shareholder in Eutelsat OneWeb.

India, the world’s most populous country with over a billion internet users, is a major market for Musk, but expanding there means dealing with powerful business figures such as Ambani, whose Reliance conglomerate owns India’s largest telecom operator and works with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government on major projects. Musk has also faced challenges expanding Tesla in India: the carmaker launched there last year after years of anticipation but registered just 699 vehicles in its first 12 months of deliveries, according to data cited by Electrek. Steep import duties pushed the Model Y’s India price to nearly twice its U.S. price; Tesla has since lowered prices, but its cars remain considerably more expensive in India than in the U.S.

Starlink and Reliance Jio have previously clashed over how to allocate satellite spectrum in India: Musk’s company wanted the spectrum assigned through an administrative process, while Jio pushed for an auction, and New Delhi ultimately decided to allocate it administratively. Starlink’s India launch remains in limbo. India’s telecom minister, Jyotiraditya Scindia, pushed back against Musk’s allegations on Friday, saying India does not allow a monopoly in any sector.

Why it matters

The spat highlights how Starlink’s India entry hinges less on technical readiness than on navigating the country’s most powerful business and political relationships — a dynamic any foreign tech company expanding into India has to manage.