India’s Union Ministry of Communications has dismissed Elon Musk’s accusation that “certain oligarchs” are blocking Starlink’s commercial rollout in the country, calling the claim “baseless and misconceived,” according to Gujarat Samachar. The SpaceX chief executive made the allegation in a post on X; Gujarat Samachar reported it on 6 October, while BigGo Finance dated the post to 7 October US time.
Neither outlet links to the post it quotes, and no release matching the ministry’s quoted rebuttal had appeared on the Department of Telecommunications site or in the Press Information Bureau newsroom at the time of writing. Readers who want the primary texts can check Musk’s X timeline and those two government channels; every quotation below rests on the two reports named here.
Key facts
- Musk said Starlink is “being blocked by certain oligarchs” seeking to keep a monopolistic hold on Indian telecoms, and called the delay a crime against the people of India, Gujarat Samachar reported. He named no one and offered no evidence, BigGo Finance said, adding that he wrote readers could probably guess who they are.
- The ministry said India’s satellite communications framework is “fair, transparent and non-discriminatory,” and that all operators must meet mandatory national security and data localisation requirements before final operational spectrum is allocated, per Gujarat Samachar.
- Starlink executive Lauren Dreyer told the India Mobile Congress 2026 trade show on 7 October that the company has deployed hundreds of antennas and 20 gateway facilities in India, BigGo Finance reported.
- Commercial launch is still held up while the Union Cabinet finalises spectrum pricing and revenue-sharing rules, according to Gujarat Samachar.
Why it matters
Official data shows more than 11,000 Indian villages still lack basic mobile coverage, Gujarat Samachar reports, describing that gap as the central flashpoint in the dispute. The specific figure circulating alongside Musk’s post — 11,256 villages outside 4G coverage as of May this year — is weaker: BigGo Finance says it came from “DogeDesigner,” an anonymous X account, and that the claim is unverified. It was that post Musk was replying to, so the headline statistic driving the row traces back to a pseudonymous handle rather than a government release.
BigGo Finance says low-Earth-orbit satellite internet can cover large areas at far lower cost than laying fibre-optic cable, which is why the licensing outcome matters to rural users.
Ready, but not licensed
The ground gateways exist to satisfy India’s data localisation mandates, keeping domestic network traffic inside national borders, Gujarat Samachar reports. The physical network is finished; the service still cannot be sold. Dreyer said the company is prepared to launch a service that complies with local data security rules. “We are ready to serve India,” she said, according to BigGo Finance, adding that Starlink stands ready to work with the government, telecom operators and industry as soon as India is ready.
Gujarat Samachar traces the hurdles to early 2021, when the Department of Telecommunications ordered Starlink to refund unapproved pre-orders. SpaceX filed its Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite (GMPCS) licence application in November 2022, triggering a multi-year fight over whether satellite spectrum should be auctioned, as domestic telecom incumbents wanted, or assigned administratively. That impasse was resolved in December 2023 when Parliament passed the Telecommunications Act 2023, the statute that sanctioned administrative allocation and under which the Cabinet is now setting prices, the outlet says. Starlink secured its GMPCS licence in June 2025 and obtained authorisation from IN-SPACe, India’s space regulator, a month later.
The security conditions
According to Gujarat Samachar, the main factor delaying final commercial clearance is a set of security protocols managed by Indian intelligence agencies, including requirements for real-time lawful interception and localised signal blackouts along 50-kilometre sensitive border stretches. Rival operators are still waiting on final security clearances as well.
Security has also shaped Musk’s other India posts. BigGo Finance reports he said separately that Starlink’s beams are switched off over India, a remark he made while denying allegations that armed groups in the country had been using the service. Neither the original allegations nor their source is identified in the reporting, and the claim remains unverified; we note it because it bears on the clearances now holding up launch.
The companies Musk didn’t name
Musk did not say which companies or individuals he meant, and neither report carries a response from Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel or Eutelsat OneWeb to his accusation — so what follows is context on the market, not an answer from the firms involved.
BigGo Finance identifies the key incumbents as Eutelsat OneWeb, backed by the Bharti Group led by Sunil Mittal, who also owns one of India’s largest mobile operators, and Reliance Jio Space Technology, owned by Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries conglomerate. Gujarat Samachar refers to the latter as Jio Satellite Communications and adds that domestic players have lobbied for higher administrative spectrum fees to stop foreign low-Earth-orbit operators gaining a pricing advantage.
What it might cost in India
No Indian tariff has been published, and BigGo Finance says Starlink has not announced pricing for the market. Elsewhere, the outlet reports, users in the United States and Western Europe pay $300 to $600 upfront for an antenna kit and $90 to $120 a month, while regional pricing in parts of Latin America and Africa has brought monthly fees down to $30 to $50 — with the upfront hardware cost still a barrier to adoption, the same affordability question facing regulators across Africa.
Two known inputs will shape any Indian figure. The first is the spectrum pricing and revenue-sharing norms India has cleared, which set a 5% charge on satellite operators’ adjusted gross revenue — a cost that lands on subscription prices rather than hardware. The second is the precedent set by Starlink’s emerging-market tiers above. Neither outlet publishes an analyst estimate for India, so any specific rupee price now in circulation is speculation.
Musk said on X that Starlink in India would provide high-speed, affordable internet to people who cannot afford current prices or have no connectivity options at all, BigGo Finance reported.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can anyone buy Starlink satellite internet in India right now?
No. Starlink is not selling service to the public in India and has published no Indian tariff. Final operational spectrum allocation and security sign-off are both still outstanding.
Has Starlink applied to fly its newer satellites over India?
Yes. According to BigGo Finance, Starlink re-applied in August to India’s space regulator for approval to deploy its second-generation constellation, including direct-to-device technology. The same report says the company has signalled plans to partner with Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio to reach remote and underserved areas.
How does Starlink’s fleet compare with Eutelsat OneWeb’s?
SpaceX has more than 11,100 Starlink satellites in orbit, according to BigGo Finance. The same report says Eutelsat OneWeb, part-owned by India’s Bharti Enterprises, operates a network of 600 to 650 communications satellites.
How big is the Indian market Starlink is waiting to enter?
BigGo Finance puts India’s internet subscription base above 1 billion, making it the world’s second-largest market after China. The outlet reports that an estimated 500 million people still lack internet access, and names terrain and infrastructure costs as the main barriers to extending networks.
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