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New Delhi — SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk has accused unnamed Indian business figures of blocking the commercial launch of Starlink's satellite internet service in India, prompting a swift rebuttal from the Indian government, which stated that its approval process applies equally to all licensed satellite operators.
In a post on the social media platform X on October 7, 2026, Musk wrote that Starlink's entry into India was being obstructed by "certain oligarchs in order to maintain their monopolistic chokehold on the Indian people." He added, "You can guess who they are... This is a crime against the people of India!" Musk did not name any specific individual or company, nor did he provide evidence to support the allegation.
Musk's comments followed remarks made a day earlier by Starlink executive Lauren Dreyer, who said at the India Mobile Congress 2026 that the company had built 20 gateway sites with hundreds of antennas across India and was "standing ready to serve India. Once India is ready."
Status of Starlink's Approval Process
Starlink has been seeking to launch commercial operations in India since 2022, with its approval process stretching across roughly four years. The company has secured a licence for satellite communication services from India's Department of Telecommunications, becoming the third operator, after Eutelsat's OneWeb and Reliance Jio, to receive such a licence. Starlink has also entered retail partnerships with Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel to stock its equipment in stores across India.
Despite these approvals, Starlink's commercial rollout remains pending final regulatory clearances, including security clearance, foreign investment approval, and spectrum allocation. In September 2026, India's Digital Communications Commission approved most of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India's recommendations on satellite spectrum allocation, a development reported to potentially remove a key regulatory hurdle for Starlink, Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio Satellite Communications.
Government's Response
India's Minister of State for Communications, Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani, responded to Musk's allegations by stating that the issue was not specific to any one company. He said the Department of Telecom had issued licences to all satellite communication companies, along with provisional spectrum, and noted that Starlink is licensed to operate in more than 165 countries and has spent five years complying with India's regulatory requirements.
Reports citing the Ministry of Communications indicated that India's rules for satellite communication are fair and non-discriminatory, and that Starlink and two other licensed operators are at roughly the same stage of the approval process, with all undergoing mandatory security assessments ahead of final spectrum allocation.
Background: The Spectrum Allocation Dispute
Musk's frustration over delays follows a prolonged dispute between Starlink and India's largest telecom operators over how satellite spectrum should be allocated. Reliance Jio, led by Mukesh Ambani, had pushed for satellite spectrum to be auctioned, arguing this was necessary to ensure a "level playing field" with terrestrial telecom operators. Starlink and Amazon's Project Kuiper argued instead for administrative allocation, consistent with international practice.
In October 2024, India's then Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia announced that satellite spectrum would be allocated administratively rather than through auction, a decision widely seen as favouring Starlink's position. The minister stated that satellite spectrum is shared spectrum and cannot be auctioned, and that administrative allocation of satellite spectrum is practised worldwide. Musk publicly thanked the minister for the decision at the time.
Musk's comments sparked debate on social media, including from Indian political figures. Former Telangana IT Minister K.T. Rama Rao publicly asked Musk to "name and shame" the oligarchs he was referring to, rather than making unspecified allegations. Former ISRO scientist Radha Krishna Kavuluru also responded to Musk's claims, suggesting that India would not treat Starlink differently from how other countries had.
Some social media users raised national security concerns in response to Musk's comments, citing past instances where Starlink terminals were reportedly recovered from sensitive areas, and arguing that foreign satellite networks require strict regulatory controls. Musk responded by stating that Starlink's satellite beams are currently switched off over Indian territory, meaning the service cannot presently be used within the country.
Regulatory and Legal Framework
Satellite communication services in India are governed under the Telecommunications Act, 2023, which provides the statutory framework for the assignment of spectrum, including for satellite-based services, and empowers the central government to determine whether spectrum is allocated administratively or through auction. The Act replaced the erstwhile Indian Telegraph Act, 1885, and related telecom legislation, consolidating India's regulatory framework for telecommunications and satellite communication under a single statute.
Security clearance for foreign satellite operators in India is assessed through an inter-ministerial process that typically involves the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Department of Telecommunications and the Department of Space, given the national security and data-localisation considerations associated with satellite-based internet services operating over Indian territory. Foreign direct investment in the satellite communications sector is additionally governed by India's FDI policy framework for the space and telecom sectors, which permits foreign investment up to specified thresholds subject to government approval beyond certain limits.
India is also a member of the International Telecommunication Union, a United Nations specialised agency, and a signatory to its treaty framework governing international allocation of satellite spectrum, which requires that spectrum, as a limited natural resource, be allocated "rationally, efficiently and economically" among member states and licensed operators.
