Reliance Industries to Elon Musk: Competition welcome, but follow rules

New Delhi: Ahead of its Rs 30,213-crore Jio IPO, Reliance Industries has dismissed Elon Musk's accusations on X, stating that it welcomed competition in the satellite communications sector. The telecom giant clarified that every player, including Starlink, must serve the people of India and abide by the laws and policies of the nation.

In a statement released on Friday, Reliance Industries emphasized that they have never been afraid of competition, seeing it as a true test of who serves the customer best. The company highlighted the success of its own Jio, which entered India's highly competitive telecom market in 2016 as a new entrant with no existing customers. Jio has since earned the trust of over 53 crore customers and provided some of the best digital infrastructure and most affordable data in the world.

Reliance Industries echoed the government's stance that the rule of law applies equally to all applicants, both domestic and foreign. They pointed out that Jio's satellite services are still pending clearance. The Union Communications Minister, Jyotiraditya Scindia, had also denied Musk's allegations, stating that there are three companies with licenses to provide satellite communication services in India, including Reliance Jio, Eutelsat OneWeb, and Musk's Starlink.

These companies are preparing to start operations once the necessary security conditions are met and they receive individual spectrum assignments.

Sunil Bharti-backed Eutelsat OneWeb, Reliance Jio, and Musk's Starlink have all received licenses to enter the satellite communication market in India. This opens up the possibility of providing satellite services to even remote areas where laying ground infrastructure for broadband connectivity is not feasible. Jeff Bezos's Amazon is also pursuing a Project Kuiper, which is seeking a license to offer satellite communication services in India.