No Monopoly in Satellite Internet, India Tells Musk Amid Starlink Row

By John Maximus · Published 9 October 2026
Reported from named sources and checked against the publishers linked in this article. Corrections: editorial and corrections policy.

India’s Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Friday, October 9, that India does not allow monopolies in any sector, speaking at the 10th edition of the India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2026 in the middle of a public row over satellite internet services. His remarks, reported by Moneycontrol, followed allegations by Elon Musk and a response from opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, whose party Scindia said did not know whether it was “going left or right”.

Key facts

• Scindia said three companies have already received satellite communication licences in India, according to Moneycontrol, even though “there is a lot of conversation about one specific company”.
• Those players can begin operations only after individually meeting security requirements and milestones, the minister said.
• He told the conference India has 1.1 billion broadband connections and 5G coverage across 99.9% of its districts.
• Musk asked on Thursday, “Is Ambani the real boss of India?”, a day after blaming “oligarchs” for a “monopolistic chokehold on the Indian people”, CNBC reports.
• Mukesh Ambani’s Jio is India’s largest telecom and internet operator and, with Airtel, controls about 80% of the market, according to CNBC.

Why it matters

Starlink is the largest satellite internet service by fleet size, with 11,000 satellites in orbit serving people in more than 170 countries and territories, CNBC reports. India is one of the markets where it holds a licence but has not launched. Scindia’s answer places the delay on security conditions rather than on competitors (see also our earlier coverage of India’s rejection of the “oligarch” claim).

Who holds the three licences

The “no monopoly” claim rests on those three licensees, but neither report names them in full. Scindia did not identify them in the remarks Moneycontrol published, and CNBC’s account places Starlink among the licence holders without naming the other two. Until the Department of Telecommunications or the minister publishes the list, the central claim cannot be checked against named operators.

The Musk-Ambani exchange

CNBC reports that Musk said Starlink was not being allowed to launch in India despite having spent “five years complying with every single law and requirement” of the government. The question about Ambani came the following day and caused a political stir, CNBC says, drawing in Gandhi, who has consistently alleged that powerful businessmen influence the government.

Reliance Industries, Ambani’s flagship company, did not respond to CNBC’s request for comment. Separately, see our earlier coverage of the share slide at Airtel and Reliance.

Where the launch stands

CNBC reports that Starlink obtained its Indian licence in July of last year, after signing pacts in March of the previous year with Jio Platforms and Airtel to explore cross-selling its products and services, and still could not launch. CNBC also cites a Bloomberg report from earlier this year that New Delhi had frozen approvals for Starlink over concerns that its terminals could be used in India despite the satellite internet service not being licensed. For its part, our earlier report on SpaceX saying its Indian build-out is finished noted that only a spectrum decision remained outstanding.

A domestic rival in the wings

While Starlink waits, Jio is moving into the same business. CNBC reports that Akash Ambani, son of Mukesh Ambani and managing director of Jio Platforms, told shareholders in June that the company planned to roll out low-orbit satellite communications in India. On Thursday he told Moneycontrol, a platform owned by the Reliance Group, that the company believes “India needs its own indigenous stack of technologies”.

Background: what Starlink charges elsewhere

No Indian price exists yet: neither Moneycontrol nor CNBC reports what Starlink would charge Indian households, and SpaceX has not published a tariff for the market. For context, Starlink’s own country price pages list residential service in the United States at $120 a month at the time of writing, with the standard hardware kit sold separately for $349, and Kenyan residential service at KSh 6,500 a month — roughly $50.

What remains unanswered

Neither Moneycontrol nor CNBC names a date for an Indian Starlink launch, and neither report sets out what remains outstanding on the security conditions Scindia referred to.

Frequently Asked Questions

How big would Jio’s planned satellite network be?

CNBC says local media reports put the plan at around 1,600 low-Earth-orbit satellites and 23 ground stations. CNBC does not give a launch timetable or a cost for the constellation.

How are Musk’s other ventures doing in India?

CNBC reports that Tesla, launched in the country last year, has had an underwhelming response, reportedly selling a little over 1,000 cars since launch.

How did Rahul Gandhi become part of the Starlink dispute?

CNBC reports that Musk’s jab at Mukesh Ambani drew a response from Gandhi, India’s leader of the opposition, who said "Wait till you meet the other one" in what CNBC describes as a veiled reference to Gautam Adani. Musk replied that this was "indeed troubling", according to CNBC.