Reliance responds to Musk’s barbs on Starlink delay: ‘All must abide by Indian laws’

Reliance Industries has responded to Elon Musk's allegations regarding the delay in the launch of Starlink in India. The company's statement emphasizes that it welcomes competition in the satellite communications sector, including from Starlink. Reliance maintains that all enterprises, both homegrown and international, must abide by Indian laws and abide by the country's rule of law.

The firm clarified that Mukesh Ambani is not the "real boss of India" and reiterated its commitment to serving Indian customers with the best possible digital infrastructure. Reliance noted that Jio's satellite services are awaiting clearances, as is the case for other foreign operators like Bharti-backed Eutelsat OneWeb and Amazon Leo, which is owned by Jeff Bezos.

The Indian government has stated that the country's regulatory framework for satellite communication services is fair and non-discriminatory. The Ministry of Communications has affirmed that all telecommunication service providers, including satellite communication services, are subject to the same authorisation process. The government is currently conducting security assessments on the three licensed entities to ensure compliance with security requirements.

Despite obtaining regulatory clearances, Starlink's final security clearance is still pending due to concerns over foreign operators potentially bypassing Indian gateways. Reliance Jio is actively developing a sovereign low Earth orbit satellite constellation, aiming to launch a network of 1,600-1,650 satellites, estimated to cost between $10–15 billion.