Musk vows affordable Starlink in India days before Ambani’s record Jio IPO

BENGALURU, India – Elon Musk pledged to keep Starlink's satellite internet service affordable in India to challenge Mukesh Ambani's low-cost Reliance Jio, intensifying his rivalry with the billionaire just before Jio's parent launches India's largest-ever IPO. The telecom giant Jio Platforms aims for a valuation of US$106 billion in the offering.

Just like SpaceX's Starlink, Jio's satellite venture awaits final security clearance to launch. Musk did not mention the exact pricing for India, noting that mobile data costs around 8 cents per gigabyte, which is among the lowest in the world. "If Starlink is too expensive in India, no one will buy it, so SpaceX will need to make pricing affordable," he stated on X on October 10.

Musk accused Modi's government and Ambani of delaying Starlink's entry into India to support the market leader Jio. This follows a series of X posts where Musk challenged the Modi government and Ambani of obstructing Starlink's operation to favor Jio. India's government has denied any bias in the approval process, stating that all three satellite ventures, including Starlink's and Jio's, are awaiting final security clearance.

On October 9, Musk directly taunted Ambani by calling him "Prime Minister Ambani" and asking if he would allow Starlink to compete. Reliance has not commented on Musk's remarks.