Elon Musk’s Big Allegation: Who Is Blocking Starlink in India?
World’s richest man Elon Musk has made sensational remarks. He alleged that the most powerful people in the country are preventing Starlink internet services from entering India. “You can guess who they are,” he said. Musk alleged that some people are doing this only to protect their monopolies. Interestingly, Reliance Jio and Airtel, which dominate India’s telecom and data services sectors, had opposed granting permission for Starlink’s satellite communication services in India. However, a few months later, after Starlink’s entry into India was finalized, both companies entered into agreements with Elon Musk’s company. But even now, Starlink communication services owned by Elon Musk have not become available in India. Musk made sensational allegations that preventing Starlink services from entering India amounts to a crime being committed against the people of India. Responding on X (formerly Twitter), Musk appeared to target prominent industrialists who dominate India’s telecom sector, without naming anyone. Musk said Starlink could provide high-speed and affordable internet through satellite connectivity to people in remote areas of the country that do not have internet access.
There is discussion that Musk appears to have made these remarks with the intention that the licensing process and spectrum allocation are being delayed due to pressure from these corporate forces, even though Starlink had already prepared 20 gateway sites in India. However, the Centre responded to Elon Musk’s allegations made on X. It said Musk’s allegations were completely baseless and stemmed from a misunderstanding. The Union Ministry of Communications clarified that the policies in force in the country apply to everyone. It stated that before spectrum is allocated to Starlink, security clearance as well as assessments by several regulatory authorities are required. The Centre also made it clear that any foreign company seeking to commence operations in the country must strictly comply with the rules and regulations in force here.
