'Is Ambani real boss of India?' Musk doubles down as govt rejects Starlink claims

After 'oligarchs' blocking Starlink in India allegations, Elon Musk now asks if Ambani is the 'real boss' in India as the American billionaire questions the delay in regulatory approval.

In Short

• Elon Musk criticises regulatory delays for Starlink in India
• Musk questions if Mukesh Ambani controls India's internet approvals
• Government denies favouring 'oligarchs', calls process fair

Elon Musk has sharpened his criticism of regulatory hurdles to launch Starlink internet services in India, directly bringing Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani into the impasse by asking whether he is "the real boss of India" and questioning why the company is still awaiting approval.

In his latest social media post, which came hours after India rejected his earlier allegation that "certain oligarchs" were blocking his satellite internet company's India entry, Musk questioned why Starlink is yet to begin operations despite years of engagement with regulators and efforts to meet compliance requirements.

"Starlink is licenced in over 165 countries and has spent five years complying with every single law and requirement of the government of India, so why still no licence? Is Ambani the real boss of India?" Musk wrote on X. He made the comment while sharing a post that alleged the government was more interested in protecting the interests of crony capitalists than those of citizens.

The post came hours after his earlier comment blaming "certain oligarchs" for using their "monopolistic chokehold" to keep Starlink out of India. The remark was followed by multiple posts in which Musk directly and indirectly highlighted his company's alleged roadblocks into the Indian market.

"Unfortunately, we are being blocked by certain oligarchs in order to maintain their monopolistic chokehold on the Indian people. You can guess who they are This is a crime against the people of India!," Musk said in his initial post.

INDIA REJECT'S MUSK'S CLAIM

The government rejected the American billionaire's allegations and defended its approval process for satellite internet services as fair and non-discriminatory.

"The suggestion that the framework or its application is unfair or discriminatory is baseless and misconceived," the Ministry of Communications said in a statement without naming Starlink or Musk.

The government has licenced three companies -- Musk's Starlink, Reliance Jio's satellite venture Jio Satcom and Bharti-backed Eutelsat OneWeb -- but none can begin commercial services until required security assessments and spectrum-related approvals are completed.

"Security assessment as part of this process is currently under way in respect of all three licensees," the telecom ministry said in a statement.

Minister of State for Communications Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani also weighed in, saying the issue was not specific to any one company.

"The Department of Telecom has issued licences to all satcom companies as well as provisional spectrum. Now the issue is pending with MHA for security clearance. As soon as it is cleared, they will get it. It has nothing to do with one company," Pemmasani told reporters on the sidelines of India Mobile Congress in New Delhi.

JIO, ONE WEB ALSO WAITING

Apart from Musk's Starlink, Jio Satcom and Bharti Airtel-backed Eutelsat OneWeb are also in the regulatory pipeline, undergoing pre-launch engagements and seeking necessary approvals.

Speaking exclusively to India Today TV on the sidelines of the India Mobile Congress, Reliance Jio Infocomm Chairman Akash Ambani said the company was making rapid progress on its satellite communications, and refused to comment on Musk's remarks.

"No comments. We want to be heads down and deliver value to our Indian consumers," Akash Ambani said.

Akash stressed Jio was making "good progress" in developing an end-to-end indigenous technology stack for its satellite service, but refused to provide a specific timeline for launching its first fleet of low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites.

Bharti Airtel Chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal, whose group backs OneWeb, said his own satellite venture was also waiting for regulatory approvals.

"We are waiting for our own approvals," Mittal told news agency PTI when asked about Musk's allegations.

MUSK’S STARLINK INDIA POST SERIES

Between the "oligarch" remark and his "real boss" comment, Musk made several posts about Starlink's entry into India as well as its global operations.

In one post, he shared a claim that Starlink services were necessary in India and wrote, "Starlink will help the least-served in India".

In another post, he continued, "People who oppose Starlink hurt only the least-served. The wealthy or those living in large cities already have good Internet, so they don’t understand."

"Starlink will be of great help to areas of India that have bad or no Internet and even no mobile coverage. No country has perfect coverage, including America, but Starlink can fill in the coverage gaps for those who most need it," his another post read.

Most internet services in India today reach your phone or home through mobile towers, fibre-optic cables or other physical networks. This means good internet depends on having the necessary cables and towers in place. In cities and well-connected areas, this usually means faster and more reliable internet.

Satellite internet services like Starlink work differently. It uses a network of satellites in space to send internet directly to a small dish installed at the user's home or location. This means it can provide the internet even in places where laying cables or building mobile towers is difficult, such as remote villages or isolated areas.

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