India Calls Starlink Rules "Fair", Rejects Elon Musk's Claim of Service Delays

India has rejected Elon Musk’s allegation that “certain oligarchs” are blocking Starlink’s satellite communication services in the country to protect their monopoly. Responding to Musk’s remarks, the Ministry of Communications said India follows a fair and non-discriminatory authorisation framework for all telecom services, including satellite-based communication providers such as Starlink.

The government said three companies have so far received Global Mobile Personal Communications by Satellite (GMPCS) licences to operate in India. These include Elon Musk’s Starlink, Bharti-backed Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio Satellite Communications Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Jio Platforms. Amazon Leo, owned by Jeff Bezos, is also seeking a licence to provide satellite communication services in the country.

Explaining the regulatory process, the Ministry said the licences were issued under a framework designed to facilitate satellite communication services using non-geostationary satellite orbits. However, each licensed company is required to demonstrate compliance with specified security conditions before it can move ahead with the next stages of operations.

The Ministry said these security checks are intended to ensure the safety of users and their data, adding that security assessments are currently underway for all three companies that have received GMPCS licences. Once the assessment is completed for an individual operator, the company can proceed with the process of seeking spectrum assignment.

Starlink secured its GMPCS licence more than a year ago but has yet to receive all the final approvals required to launch commercial services in India. The Ministry said Starlink, OneWeb and Jio Satellite Communications are broadly at the same stage of the regulatory process, rejecting the suggestion that the rules were being applied selectively against Musk’s company. The government also dismissed social media claims that India's regulatory framework for satellite communication was unfair or discriminatory. It described such allegations as baseless and misconceived, maintaining that the same regulatory requirements apply to all licensed operators.

Musk had made the allegation on X, saying Starlink was being blocked by unnamed “oligarchs” who wanted to retain a “monopolistic chokehold” over the Indian market. His comments came just hours after a senior SpaceX executive said Starlink was ready to begin providing services in India once the necessary regulatory process was completed.

Speaking at India Mobile Congress 2026, Lauren Dreyer, SpaceX’s Vice President of Starlink Business Operations, said the company had already invested in infrastructure to support its operations in India. She said Starlink had designed its Indian network around the country’s security requirements and regulations, including controls at different levels and measures to keep Indian users’ data within the country. Dreyer also said the company had already established ground infrastructure in India, including 20 gateway sites equipped with hundreds of antennas. According to her, Starlink has also put the necessary operational systems in place and is ready to serve Indian customers once the remaining regulatory requirements are fulfilled.

Disclaimer: This image is taken from NDTV.