Reliance Breaks Silence on Musk’s Starlink Claims, Says Jio Awaits Same Clearances
Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance has broken its silence in the Reliance Starlink India dispute, responding to Elon Musk’s accusations that it is blocking Starlink’s India launch. The conglomerate said it welcomed competition from Starlink and that its own satellite services were also awaiting clearance.
The statement is Reliance’s first public response to months of claims from Musk, the world’s richest man, that the Indian government and Ambani have been stalling Starlink’s years-long efforts to enter a market of more than a billion internet subscribers. India has denied any bias in its approval process.
The Reliance Starlink India dispute took a new turn on Friday when the conglomerate addressed “remarks about Reliance and the Indian market” in a statement intended, it said, to “place the facts on record”. The statement did not name Musk.
Reliance’s first response
“At Reliance, we have never feared competition,” the conglomerate said on Friday.
The timing is significant. The statement comes days before Reliance Industries’ digital unit, Jio Platforms, seeks a $108 billion valuation in what would be India’s largest IPO to date.
Jio houses Reliance’s telecom arm, which has more than 530 million customers. It is a potential competitor to Starlink in India’s internet market, and the battle over satellite broadband could shape both companies’ futures.
Feature Pakistan has followed the feud as it escalated, from Musk’s direct appeals to Ambani to Musk sharing reports on Reliance-linked political donations.
Musk’s claims and Starlink’s reply
Musk’s posts on X have grown increasingly personal. He has asked whether Ambani was the “real boss” of India, addressed him as “Prime Minister Ambani”, and questioned whether he would allow Starlink to compete.
The attacks mark a sharp turn for Musk, who has a warm public rapport with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. They come as New Delhi courts foreign investment and negotiates a trade deal with Washington.
Starlink responded on Friday, saying it had worked with Indian regulators and the industry for more than five years. The company said it had built dedicated systems, gateways and other infrastructure in the country with the required government approvals.
“Starlink is ready to connect India with high-speed internet,” the company said on X. In a separate post responding to Reliance, Musk wrote: “Much appreciated.”
The Reliance Starlink India dispute so far
India has licensed three operators for satellite internet: Starlink, Jio’s satellite internet arm, and the Bharti-backed Eutelsat OneWeb. But none of them has the security clearance needed to actually launch services.
That stalemate leaves one of the world’s largest offline populations waiting. Satellite broadband could help connect hundreds of millions of Indians who remain offline, most of them in rural and remote areas where laying fibre is expensive.
Musk has said he would price Starlink affordably in India to take on Jio’s low-cost internet plans. Cheap data is how Jio built its dominance in India, and Musk has used the same playbook in markets like Kenya to disrupt local telecom players.
The dispute sits inside a bigger question about how India regulates foreign technology. For readers new to the technology, our beginner’s guide to Starlink explains how the satellite internet service works.
What happens next
The immediate focus is on India’s security clearance process. Until that is granted, all three licensed operators remain grounded, and the war of words between Musk and Ambani is largely theatre.
The Jio Platforms IPO will also test how investors value India’s digital market against the threat of satellite competition. A $108 billion valuation would make it India’s largest listing ever.
If Starlink does get clearance, the real contest begins on price. Jio’s low-cost model defined Indian telecom; Musk’s promise to undercut it could define the next round.
The original report appeared in Dawn.
Why has Reliance responded to Musk now?
Reliance issued its first statement on the dispute days before Jio Platforms seeks a $108 billion valuation in India’s largest IPO. The company said it wanted to “place the facts on record” about remarks concerning Reliance and the Indian market.
Does Starlink have permission to operate in India?
India has licensed Starlink, Jio’s satellite arm and Eutelsat OneWeb, but none of them has received the security clearance required to launch services.
How many customers does Jio have?
Jio’s telecom arm has more than 530 million customers, making it a potential competitor to Starlink if both companies begin offering satellite internet in India.
