Business · World News Bureau

Musk vs Ambani: what's really stalling Starlink in India

Elon Musk blames Mukesh Ambani for Starlink's stalled India launch. New Delhi says every satellite applicant, Jio included, is stuck at the same security review, while Jio pitches a 1,600-satellite network of its own days before India's biggest IPO.

LSN World News · 16 October 2026

Musk vs Ambani: what's really stalling Starlink in India

<p><em>Special Reporting from LSN News, adapted from today's Asia Behind the Headlines episode. <a href="https://youtu.be/hG4HDw145B0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Watch the video on YouTube.</a></em></p>

<p>"Is Ambani the real boss of India?" Elon Musk asked on X on 8 October, as his satellite internet service Starlink waited for permission to launch in the country. A day earlier he had accused "certain oligarchs" of maintaining a "monopolistic chokehold on the Indian people". The posts, aimed at Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani, turned a slow licensing process into one of Asia's most-watched corporate rows. The paperwork tells a less dramatic story.</p>

<h2>Where Starlink actually stands</h2>

<p>Starlink is not starting from zero. It holds a GMPCS licence from India's Department of Telecommunications, and in July 2025 it received an authorisation from the space regulator IN-SPACe, Indian Express and CNBC report. What it still lacks, the BBC reports, is final security clearance and spectrum allocation, the last steps before commercial service.</p>

<p>The Ministry of Communications answered Musk on 8 October without naming him. "Security assessment as part of this process is currently underway in respect of all the three licensees," it said. "At present, all the three entities are at broadly the same regulatory stage. As such, the suggestion that the framework or its application is unfair or discriminatory is baseless and misconceived." The three are Starlink, Bharti-backed Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio Satellite Communications, a unit of Ambani's own Jio Platforms. Airtel chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal said his satellite venture was also still awaiting approval.</p>

<p>Minister of State for Communications Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani said the Ministry of Home Affairs is looking into security issues around satcom services, Indian Express reports. The concern, according to the paper, is that foreign operators could bypass Indian gateways and leave the government without control over the service. In 2024 Indian authorities said they had recovered Starlink equipment in a drug-smuggling probe in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and in an army operation in Manipur. Musk said at the time that Starlink had never been active in India.</p>

<h2>Partners, then rivals</h2>

<p>The row has an awkward backstory. In March 2025 both Jio and Airtel signed agreements with SpaceX to distribute Starlink equipment and services in India, subject to government approval.</p>

<p>Jio now has a plan of its own. At India Mobile Congress in New Delhi on 8 October, it showcased a proposed constellation of about 1,600 low Earth orbit satellites and 23 ground stations, under the banner "Sovereign Satellite Connectivity", Mint reports. The aim is to keep the whole value chain in India and to reach remote villages, islands and border areas. In July, the Economic Times reported that IN-SPACe had judged the proposal technically sound, citing unnamed government officials.</p>

<p>It remains a proposal. Voice&Data, citing people familiar with the matter, reports a first test flight targeted for September 2027 and the full constellation by 2035, a timetable Jio has not confirmed. Starlink already has more than 10,000 satellites in orbit.</p>

<p>Asked about Musk's claims, Jio chairman Akash Ambani told reporters: "We want to be heads down and deliver value to our Indian consumers." Reliance did not respond to requests for comment from the BBC, CNBC or Indian Express.</p>

<h2>Why the timing matters</h2>

<p>The fight lands days before Jio Platforms' public offering. It opens on 21 October, priced at ₹1,065 to ₹1,119 a share, and is set to be India's biggest IPO, with a fresh issue of up to ₹30,213 crore at the top of the band and listing expected on 28 October, Indian Express reports. The row also turned political. Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi replied to Musk, "Wait till you meet the other one," and Musk responded, "This is indeed troubling," CNBC reports.</p>

<p>We found no public evidence that Ambani is blocking Starlink. On the record, the bottleneck is New Delhi's security review, and it is holding back every applicant, Jio's own satellite arm included. But time is not neutral. Starlink's satellites are already overhead. Every month the review runs gives a home-grown network more room to catch up, and that turns a licensing queue into a contest over who controls India's sky. Musk has the satellites. New Delhi holds the keys.</p>

<h2>Sources</h2>

<ul>

<li><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/business/india-satellite-policy-centre-response-elon-musk-starlink-oligarch-10911859/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Indian Express, 8 Oct 2026</a></li>

<li><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/technology/elon-musk-and-mukesh-ambanis-feud-over-starlink-explained/article71577979.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Hindu, 13 Oct 2026</a></li>

<li><a href="https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/jio-proposes-1600-satellites-23-ground-stations-for-sovereign-indian-connectivity/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Data Center Dynamics, Oct 2026</a></li>

<li><a href="https://www.voicendata.com/broadband/jio-targets-september-2027-test-for-1600-satellite-leo-network-12507017" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Voice&Data, 8 Sep 2026</a></li>

<li><a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/telecom/telecom-policy/reliance-jios-1600-leo-satellite-plan-gets-in-space-technical-nod-moves-closer-to-indias-first-homegrown-constellation/articleshow/132447556.cms" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Economic Times, 17 Jul 2026</a></li>

<li><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/business/jio-platforms-ipo-hit-market-oct-21-price-band-10921995/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Indian Express, 14 Oct 2026</a></li>

<li><a href="https://www.sebi.gov.in/sebi_data/attachdocs/oct-2026/1792045029108.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">SEBI RHP notice</a></li>

<li><a href="https://airtel.in/press-release/03-2025/airtel-announces-agreement-with-spacex-to-bring-starlinks-high-speed-internet-to-its-customers-in-india/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Airtel press release, 11 Mar 2025</a></li>

<li><a href="https://bsmedia.business-standard.com/_media/bs/data/announcements/bse/12032025/c053fe69-c8bf-4d4a-9f4e-873cb98f08e5.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jio Platforms media release (BSE), 12 Mar 2025</a></li>

</ul>