‘India allows no monopoly’: Scindia responds to Musk’s Starlink row, says 3 firms await clearances; takes dig at Congress

Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Friday said India does not allow monopolies in any sector, responding to Elon Musk’s allegations over Starlink’s delayed launch in the country.

“India doesn't allow monopoly in any sector,” Scindia said amid the controversy over Starlink’s pending approvals.

He also took a dig at the Congress over its response to Musk, saying the party did not know whether it was “going left or right”.


Scindia also reiterated that all three satellite communication (satcom) licence holders would be able to begin operations after the government decides the revenue-based spectrum charge system and they individually meet security requirements.

Also Read: Elon Musk asks why Starlink still lacks India licence after ‘five years’ of compliance

“I have already defined the government's stand and the government's policy, and I have mentioned to you that there are three parties that have the license. There's not a single party. As far as the Congress party is concerned, I don't think they themselves know whether they are going left or right. They first had a problem initially with a certain person getting a license. Now they have a problem, and they have allied with that person in terms of why he's not getting the license. I don't know whether they have clarity in terms of where they are going. But that is the case with the Congress, which is to be expected. We are very clear on our stand. There are three parties that have got a license. As and when the government decides the charge system on a revenue basis, that spectrum will be assigned to them, and as and when they individually fulfill the security conditions, then they can start operations,” Scindia said.

What did Musk say?

Musk has questioned why Starlink, which he says is licensed in more than 165 countries, has yet to receive the necessary approvals to launch services in India. He has alleged that unnamed “oligarchs” are blocking the company to protect their business interests and described the alleged obstruction as “a crime against the people of India”.

Musk also asked on X: “Is Ambani the real boss of India?”

His remarks followed an exchange with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who wrote: “Welcome to India, Elon. Wait till you discover the other guy.”

Musk replied: “Thank you, Rahul. This is indeed troubling.”

Why is Starlink waiting for approval in India?

The government has rejected Musk’s allegations of discriminatory treatment, saying Starlink and the other satcom operators are at the same stage of the regulatory process.

Also Read: Govt rejects Elon Musk’s claims of discrimination in India’s satellite communications approval process

The three companies are Starlink, Reliance Jio’s satellite communications arm and Eutelsat OneWeb, which is associated with Bharti Airtel. All three are awaiting the required security clearances before proceeding with spectrum assignment and launching commercial services.

Minister of State for Communications Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani said the Department of Telecommunications had issued licences and provisional spectrum to satcom companies, while security clearance remained pending with the Ministry of Home Affairs.

“Now the issue is pending with MHA for security clearance. As soon as it is cleared, they will get it. It has nothing to do with one company,” Pemmasani said.

Starlink has received a satcom permit and authorisation from India’s space regulator, but it cannot begin commercial operations until it completes the required security and spectrum-related steps.

Scindia said the government would assign spectrum once it decides the revenue-based charge system. Each company would then have to meet its individual security requirements before starting operations. " TRAI, telecom department close to final decision on pricing regime for satcom spectrum," he added.