SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk challenged Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani on Friday over Starlink’s launch in India, accusing him of protecting a monopoly and urging him to allow competition.
Writing on X, Musk sarcastically addressed the businessman as “Dear Prime Minister Ambani”. He offered a mock apology for failing to recognise Ambani’s influence in the country.
Musk’s message did not establish that Ambani controls Starlink’s regulatory approval.
India’s Ministry of Communications had defended its satellite-service authorisation process in a statement on Thursday. It described the framework as fair and non-discriminatory and rejected suggestions of unequal treatment.
The ministry explained that security assessments were underway for all three licensed satellite operators. Each must demonstrate compliance with security conditions before seeking spectrum assignment.
All three were at broadly the same regulatory stage.
In his Friday message, Musk argued that areas without internet access left children with fewer educational opportunities. He suggested that connecting those communities through Starlink could help small businesses reach customers in global markets.
Musk projected those benefits for the service.
A follow-up post focused on emergency communications. Musk claimed Starlink had helped save lives during natural disasters worldwide when other communications systems failed.
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He argued that access to the service could provide similar assistance to people in India.
The ministry’s earlier statement set out the regulatory requirement for satellite operators: once a licensed company completes its security assessment, it can seek spectrum assignment.
(With additional input from The Indian Express and TeslaNorth)
