Why Elon Musk has slammed ‘certain oligarchs’ for Starlink’s India launch delay

Elon Musk has criticized "certain oligarchs" for obstructing SpaceX's Starlink satellite broadband service in India, a remark that appears to be a jab at billionaire business leaders Mukesh Ambani and Sunil Bharti Mittal. Musk expressed his frustration on social media, hinting at the identities of these alleged blockers. India's dominant telecommunications companies, Reliance Jio Infocomm and Bharti Airtel, control approximately 910 million broadband subscribers, accounting for more than 80 percent of the market.

However, the government has yet to issue the necessary clearances for Starlink's commercial launch due to security concerns. Despite securing a satellite communications license in India, Starlink is still awaiting security clearances and spectrum before it can commence operations. In a recent conference in New Delhi, Lauren Dreyer, vice-president of Starlink business operations, stated that the company has been working diligently with Indian regulators for five years and has tailored its network to meet India's security demands, implementing controls at various levels and safeguarding Indian user data within the country.

She reiterated that Starlink remains prepared to serve India once the required clearances are granted. Bharti Airtel, a significant shareholder in Eutelsat Communications, a rival satellite network that competes with Starlink in the low-Earth orbit market, has partnered with SpaceX to provide Starlink services to Indian customers.

Reliance, through its Jio Satellite Communications and a joint venture with Luxembourg-based satellite operator SES, also has aspirations in the satellite industry.