Government won’t allow monopoly in any sector in India: Scindia

Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia asserted on Friday that India does not permit monopolies in any sector, in response to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk's claim that "oligarchs" were obstructing Starlink service availability in the country. Mr. Scindia emphasized that the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) maintains a technology-agnostic approach, focusing on providing a variety of services to every customer, allowing them to choose the most suitable option from the available services and companies.

He reiterated the DoT's stance from Thursday, stating that all three satellite internet license applicants - Starlink, Jio, and OneWeb - were at the same stage before commencing operations. Mr. Scindia explained the delay in the revenue charge system, which serves as a prerequisite for Starlink to start operations, by citing the need for thorough consideration and the potential for rushed announcements.