Who are the ‘oligarchs’ Musk accuses of blocking Starlink’s India entry?

NEW DELHI: Elon Musk has accused unnamed Indian “oligarchs” of obstructing the launch of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service, drawing a rebuttal from the government over its approval process.

In a post on X, Musk alleged that business interests were preventing Starlink from entering India to protect their dominance of the telecom market. Bloomberg described the remarks as an apparent swipe at billionaires Mukesh Ambani and Sunil Bharti Mittal, although Musk did not identify either businessman.

Starlink has secured a satellite communications licence but still needs security clearances and spectrum allocation before beginning commercial operations. Bloomberg reported that SpaceX signed agreements last year with Bharti Airtel and Reliance’s Jio Platforms to offer its services in India.

India’s telecommunications ministry rejected Musk’s allegations, saying the approval framework applies equally to all applicants. Starlink, Jio and Airtel are at a similar regulatory stage, awaiting spectrum allocation and security clearances, Reuters reported.

Speaking at an industry conference in New Delhi on Wednesday, Starlink executive Lauren Dreyer said the company had spent five years working with Indian regulators and designed its network around the country’s security requirements, including keeping Indian users’ data within India.

“We’re standing ready to serve India once India is ready,” she said, according to Bloomberg.