Elon Musk addressed Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani as “Prime Minister Ambani” in a post on X late on Friday, 9 October, sharpening his public fight over the stalled launch of Starlink, SpaceX’s satellite internet service, in India. The jab drew heavy criticism inside India, where commentators questioned whether Starlink would be affordable for most Indians and whether the country should depend on a foreign-owned network, while the government again insisted its satellite rules are not discriminatory.
Key facts
- Musk’s post went up at 10.33 pm on Friday 9 October, according to National Herald, capping three days of escalating attacks, Billionaires.Africa reported.
- Musk earlier said Starlink was being blocked by unnamed oligarchs keeping a monopolistic chokehold on Indian consumers, calling it a crime against the people of India, Billionaires.Africa reported. He named no one and offered no evidence.
- India’s Ministry of Communications said on Thursday that its satellite rules are fair and non-discriminatory, and that three licensed satellite operators are at broadly the same regulatory stage, undergoing security assessments before spectrum can be assigned.
- Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Friday that India does not allow a monopoly in any sector, and that three companies hold satcom licences.
- Maharashtra has become the first Indian state to sign an agreement with Starlink India, National Herald reported.
Why it matters
The fight is about who gets to sell internet access to the unconnected. Jio and Bharti Airtel, India’s two largest mobile groups, together hold about 80% of the country’s telecom market, Billionaires.Africa reported, citing Semafor, and both are building satellite internet arms of their own. Musk has pitched Starlink’s pricing as the answer to India’s telecom duopoly.
Starlink has not published Indian prices, so the gap can only be read off its existing markets. In the United States the company lists its standard kit at $349 and residential service at $120 a month, a little over ₹10,000 at current exchange rates. Jio’s mass-market prepaid bundles, on the operator’s published tariffs, sell in the ₹300 to ₹400 band for 28 days of calls and data. That is an order-of-magnitude difference that no licensing decision alters, which is the hard limit on Musk’s affordability argument. National Herald reported that for city dwellers Starlink is unlikely to beat Jio or Airtel, whose plans are much cheaper and often deliver equal or better speeds, and that many replies to Musk’s posts argued the service would be far too expensive for most Indians.
On those numbers Starlink’s realistic Indian market is the rural ground the duopoly’s towers do not reach — the same satellite internet market Jio and Airtel are now entering themselves.
What Musk said, and how India answered
Musk’s post
In the Friday post, Musk apologised for not realising Ambani was the real boss of India and asked whether he would nonetheless let Starlink compete, according to both outlets. “Please accept my humble apologies for not realising that you are the real boss of India,” Musk wrote, Billionaires.Africa reported, citing Gulf News.
He went on to say Starlink would change the lives of children and small businesses in rural India where there is no internet, and pointed to its role in saving lives during natural disasters when other communication systems fail, National Herald reported.
The backlash, and Delhi’s reply
Replies were often hostile. National Herald quoted one widely shared response that mirrored his wording back at him as “President Elon”, accusing him of protecting his own car business from Chinese competition. AltNews co-founder Pratik Sinha argued Musk is a bigger oligarch than Ambani or Gautam Adani and a crony capitalist, pointing to his role in the US government initiative known as DOGE.
The ministry said the suggestion that the framework or its application is unfair is baseless and misconceived, Billionaires.Africa reported. Accounts of who else has applied differ between the two outlets: Billionaires.Africa names Jio’s satellite unit and OneWeb India, in which Airtel is a major shareholder, while National Herald lists Airtel, Jio and Eutelsat alongside Starlink. Neither outlet addresses the discrepancy, and neither says whether the two lists describe the same set of applicants under different corporate names.
Security clearances are the block
SpaceX has been seeking an Indian launch since 2022 and last year obtained a key licence from the communications ministry plus approval from the country’s space regulator, but still lacks the final clearance needed to sell satellite internet to Indian customers, Billionaires.Africa reported. Indian authorities raised concerns in 2024 after Starlink devices appeared in a drug seizure in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and during an army operation in Manipur. Those checks are why security clearances keep Starlink waiting on spectrum.
Background: a relationship that soured
M.K. Venu, former managing editor of The Financial Express and a founding editor of The Wire, told National Herald that the Modi government invited Musk to invest in satellite communications, amended the Telecom Act 2023 so satcom spectrum could be allocated administratively rather than auctioned, and opened 100% foreign direct investment in the sector.
Billionaires.Africa reported that Starlink wanted administrative allocation while Jio pushed for an auction, and the government’s choice of administrative allocation was seen at the time as a win for Musk. In 2025 both Jio and Airtel agreed to sell Starlink equipment once approved; Jio has since formed a satellite joint venture with Luxembourg’s SES.
The self-reliance argument
National Herald reported that experts believe India can technically replicate much of what Starlink does, and that the real questions are how long it would take, how much it would cost and whether duplicating everything makes economic sense, citing NavIC and the ISRO launch programme as precedents. Other critics raised data sovereignty and national security concerns.
For readers elsewhere watching licensing fights, the Indian process contrasts with southern Africa, where Starlink is still not licensed in South Africa even as use grows, as Starlink News reported this week.
Frequently Asked Questions
How wealthy is Mukesh Ambani, and what does he control?
Ambani is 69 and worth about $100 billion according to Forbes, making him the richest person in Asia, as reported by Billionaires.Africa. He controls Reliance Industries, whose mobile arm Reliance Jio is India’s largest mobile operator.
Why did Indian security agencies hold back Starlink’s clearances in June 2026?
Billionaires.Africa, citing TheNextWeb, reported that security agencies held back clearances in June this year after Starlink was switched on in Iran, where the service has no licence.
Does Starlink already have equipment on the ground in India?
SpaceX says it has built 20 ground stations in the country, according to Billionaires.Africa. The physical network is therefore largely in place; the hold-up is regulatory.
How has Musk’s other big Indian venture performed?
Tesla began selling cars in India last year and registered only 699 vehicles in its first 12 months of deliveries, Billionaires.Africa reported, citing Electrek. It said steep import duties pushed prices to nearly double their US level.
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