Musk asks why Starlink lacks India licence

Elon Musk has taken a new stance against India, accusing oligarchs of obstructing the deployment of Starlink services in the country. Starlink, the satellite internet service provided by SpaceX, has been seeking approval to operate in India since 2022. Musk expressed his frustration in a series of tweets, alleging that certain powerful individuals are blocking the service to maintain their monopolistic grip on the Indian population.

India's largest telecom companies, Jio and Airtel, which are run by billionaires Mukesh Ambani and Sunil Mittal respectively, are reportedly planning their own satellite internet services. Jio is developing a constellation of 1,600 low Earth orbit satellites, while Airtel has partnered with Eutelsat OneWeb, a rival to Starlink. Despite these developments, Musk maintains that Starlink will be essential for providing internet access in areas with poor or no connectivity in India.

India's Ministry of Communications has granted licenses to three unnamed satellite operators, emphasizing the importance of security compliance. Musk's claim that the framework is unfair and discriminatory is dismissed as baseless, with Indian authorities stating that all three companies are at a similar regulatory stage.