Elon Musk's Starlink responds to Reliance, says ‘ready to connect India’ with high-speed internet

Starlink on Friday said it was ready to provide high-speed internet services in India and had built dedicated infrastructure in the country with the requisite government approvals, responding to a post by Reliance Industries on competition in the satellite communications market.

The Elon Musk-led company made the statement on X while tagging a post by Reliance, which had said a day earlier that it welcomed competition in satellite communications, including from Starlink, but expected every player to comply with Indian laws.

Also read: Reliance says it has ‘never feared competition’ and welcomes satellite players, including Musk’s Starlink


"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. Starlink is ready to connect India with high-speed internet," the company said.

The exchange comes amid a public dispute over the terms of competition and regulatory approvals for satellite internet services in India, with Musk questioning the competitive environment and Reliance maintaining that all operators must follow the country's laws and policies.

Reliance says competition must follow Indian laws

In its statement on Thursday, Reliance said it had never feared competition and viewed it as a test of which company served customers best. The company also pointed to the growth of its telecom business, Jio, since its entry into India's crowded mobile services market in 2016.

"At Reliance, we have never feared competition. We see it as the truest test of who serves the customer best," the company said.

Reliance said Jio had entered the market without a single customer and had earned the trust of more than 530 million customers in a decade, offering affordable data and digital infrastructure.

"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," the company said.

It also argued that India's openness to investment and innovation, whether domestic or international, depended on adherence to the rule of 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 added that the government followed the same process for Indian and foreign applicants, noting that Jio's own satellite services were awaiting clearances.

Also read: Musk’s company unwilling to follow India rules, must set up local base stations: Official

The statement was Reliance's direct response to Musk's recent criticism of India's satellite communications market. The billionaire had accused powerful business interests of trying to preserve a "monopolistic chokehold" on Indian consumers.

In posts on X, Musk had also sarcastically addressed Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani as "Prime Minister Ambani", questioning his influence over government decisions.

The Ministry of Communications rejected allegations that India's regulatory framework was unfair or discriminatory, describing such suggestions as "baseless and misconceived". Government sources have said companies must comply with Indian laws to operate in the country.

Licences do not guarantee launch of satellite services

The dispute comes as Starlink, Reliance's Jio Satcom and Bharti-backed Eutelsat OneWeb pursue satellite communications opportunities in India. Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia has said the three ventures have secured satellite communications licences, while Amazon's Project Kuiper has expressed interest in the market.

However, a licence alone does not authorise commercial operations. Satellite operators must also meet security requirements and obtain spectrum assignment under the applicable framework.

Scindia has said spectrum would be assigned after the government finalises a revenue-based charging framework and individual operators fulfil the required security conditions. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India and the Department of Telecommunications have been working towards a decision on satellite spectrum pricing.

The debate has also drawn in Bharti Airtel chairman Sunil Mittal, who recently said his satellite communications venture, Eutelsat OneWeb, was ahead of Starlink in the queue for launching services in India.

"I think I am significantly ahead in the queue from him. I applied five years back," Mittal said at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum 2026. "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.

Reliance is also pursuing its satellite ambitions, including a proposed constellation of about 1,600 low-Earth-orbit satellites intended to extend internet connectivity to 600,000 villages. The initiative could put Jio in more direct competition with Starlink in remote areas and locations with limited terrestrial broadband coverage.

The two companies had signed an agreement last year to explore ways of bringing Starlink services to Indian customers through Jio's retail network, adding another dimension to the evolving competition in India's satellite internet market.