Starlink has said it has built dedicated infrastructure in India with the requisite government approvals and is ready to provide high-speed internet services, amid a growing dispute with Reliance Industries and Bharti Airtel over competition and regulatory clearances in the country's satellite communications market.
The Elon Musk-led company said on Friday it had worked with Indian regulators, industry and operators for more than five years. Its post on X also tagged an earlier statement from Reliance Industries, which welcomed competition in satellite communications but stressed that all operators must comply with Indian laws.
Starlink responded on X: "We have worked closely with regulators, industry and operators in India for 5+ years, and built a network of dedicated systems, gateways, and other infrastructure all in-country to exclusively serve Indian traffic safely and securely - and all with the requisite government approvals."
The company further said it was ready to connect India with high-speed internet.
Reliance welcomes Starlink competition, stresses rule of law
Reliance Industries, in its first direct response to Musk's recent remarks, said it was placing "the facts on record."
"At Reliance, we have never feared competition. We see it as the truest test of who serves the customer best," the company said in a statement.
Reliance cited Jio's entry into India's telecom market in 2016, when it had no customers, and said the company had earned the trust of more than 530 million customers in ten years by offering digital infrastructure and affordable data services.
"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," Reliance said.
The company added that India's openness to domestic and international investment and innovation depended on compliance with the law.
"Like every Indian enterprise, Reliance has grown in an India that welcomes investment and innovation, homegrown or international, that improve the lives of the people. That openness rests on the rule of law," it said.
Reliance also said the government followed the same process for every applicant, irrespective of nationality, and noted that "Jio's own satellite services await clearances".
Government says all satellite operators must follow Indian laws
Government sources have reiterated that every company operating in India must comply with the country's laws.
"Government's position has been very clear, and was so even at the time they had applied, that if you don't follow Indian laws, you cannot do business here...So to do business here, you have to follow Indian laws," sources said earlier this week.
The Ministry of Communications has rejected allegations that India's regulatory framework or its implementation was unfair or discriminatory, describing such claims as "baseless and misconceived".
The government has maintained that satellite operators must meet the same regulatory requirements, including security conditions and spectrum allocation rules, before they can begin commercial services.
Communications minister Jyotiraditya Scindia has said that three ventures — Starlink, Reliance's Jio Satcom and Bharti-backed Eutelsat OneWeb — have secured satellite communications licences. Amazon's Project Kuiper has expressed interest but must follow the established procedure.
Scindia has said spectrum will be assigned after the government finalises a revenue-based charging framework and individual operators fulfil security requirements. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) were close to a decision on satellite spectrum pricing, he added.
A key distinction in the dispute is that a satellite communications licence does not automatically permit commercial operations. Spectrum assignment and the fulfilment of security conditions remain essential steps.
Sunil Mittal says OneWeb ahead of Starlink in approval queue
The dispute intensified after Bharti Airtel Chairman Sunil Mittal said at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum 2026 that his satellite communications venture, Eutelsat OneWeb, was significantly ahead of Starlink in the queue to launch services in India.
"I think I am significantly ahead in the queue from him. I applied five years back," Mittal said. "We don't have the permission, so we'll be very happy to get it at least a few days before him".
Mittal said OneWeb's ground network had been ready for three years and its satellites had been hovering over India for five years, but the company was still awaiting permission to begin commercial operations.
The remarks from Mittal and Reliance followed Musk's allegations that powerful business interests were blocking Starlink's entry into India.
In a series of recent posts on X, Musk targeted Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani, sarcastically addressing him as "Prime Minister Ambani" and questioning whether he had greater influence over India's decisions than Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Musk has alleged that some business groups are seeking to preserve a "monopolistic chokehold" on Indian consumers. The government has rejected claims of regulatory discrimination and said all operators must meet the same requirements.
Jio IPO and satellite plans add to market rivalry
The dispute comes at a crucial time for Reliance, which is preparing for the initial public offering of Jio Platforms, its digital services business.
Jio has set a price band of Rs 1,065 to 1,119 per share for an offer of up to 27 crore new shares, equivalent to about 3 per cent of its existing capital. The issue has no offer-for-sale component.
At the upper end of the price band, the offering would raise about Rs 30,213 crore, exceeding Hyundai Motor India's Rs 27,870 crore share sale in October 2024, which was the country's largest at the time. The price band implies a market valuation of about Rs 10.3 lakh crore, below the roughly Rs 11 lakh crore the company had earlier been reported to seek.
Bidding is scheduled for October 21 to 23, with anchor investors bidding on October 19. The shares are expected to begin trading on October 28.
Reliance is also pursuing its satellite ambitions through a proposed constellation of about 1,600 low-earth-orbit satellites intended to extend internet connectivity to 600,000 villages. The project could bring Jio into more direct competition with Starlink in remote areas and locations with limited terrestrial network coverage.
In a notable development, Reliance and SpaceX signed an agreement last year to explore ways to bring Starlink services to Indian customers through Jio's retail network.
