Mittal hits back after Musk cries foul over Starlink
Bharti Airtel chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal rebutted Elon Musk's claims that Starlink's satellite internet service is being obstructed in India, asserting that his own venture, Eutelsat OneWeb, is currently awaiting regulatory approvals. On Wednesday, Musk accused undisclosed oligarchs of blocking Starlink in India to preserve their dominant position, without naming any specific entities.
The telecom market in India comprises three private players: Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea. Starlink, Jio Satcom, and Eutelsat OneWeb are the three satellite communications companies vying to launch services in the country. The Indian government has issued licenses to these three entities for commencing operations, but all require spectrum and security clearance.
Bharti Mittal commented on Musk's allegations at the India Mobile Congress, stating that his venture is awaiting its own approvals. Bharti Group-backed Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio Satcom were the first two satellite communication companies to receive licenses, but they too are yet to secure spectrum and security clearance for service deployment.
Jio Platforms' Managing Director, Akash Ambani, declined to comment on the matter. The government expressed dissatisfaction with Musk's allegations, emphasizing the need for licensees to comply with security norms as part of a fair and non-discriminatory authorization process. The ministry stated that all three licensees are currently at the same regulatory stage, and suggesting the framework or its application is unfair or discriminatory is baseless and misconceived.
Written by urgent.news from The Economic Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
