Reliance Industries on Friday said that it has “never feared competition”, a week after trillionaire Elon Musk repeatedly accused the Indian conglomerate and “oligarchs” of stalling the launch of his Starlink satellite internet network.
The Mukesh Ambani-led business group did not name Musk, but said that it was responding to “recent remarks about Reliance and the Indian market”.
Reliance said that the “openness” of the market in India rests on the rule of law, adding that the same regulatory process applies to all applicants irrespective of whether they were based in India or a foreign country.
It said that the satellite services of its own telecommunications company, Jio, await clearances.
“We have never feared competition…” the conglomerate said. “We welcome competition in satellite communications, including Starlink. Every player, Jio included, must serve the people of India and abide by the laws and policies of the land.”
Starlink provides internet access through a constellation of satellites placed in low-earth orbit by Musk’s spacecraft manufacturing company SpaceX.
If launched in India, Starlink will compete in the country’s satellite internet market with Jio Space Technology, a joint venture part of Reliance Industries, and Eutelsat OneWeb, backed by Sunil Mittal’s Bharti Airtel Group.
On October 8, Musk accused “certain oligarchs” in India of blocking the launch of Starlink, saying that they are trying to...