Starlink Approval Row: Musk Asks ‘Is Ambani The Real Boss?', Rahul Says 'Welcome To India'

Elon Musk and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi exchanged remarks on Thursday over the delay in Starlink’s approval to begin commercial operations in India, with the Tesla and SpaceX chief questioning whether Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani was influencing the process.

Musk said Starlink had secured licences in more than 165 countries and had spent five years complying with Indian government requirements. He questioned why the company was still awaiting approval to start services in India.

“Starlink is licensed in over 165 countries and has spent five years complying with every single law and requirement of the government of India, so why still no license?" Musk said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

“Is Ambani the real boss of India?” he questioned.

Rahul Gandhi responded to Musk’s post on X, saying: “Welcome to India, Elon. Wait till you discover the other guy.”

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

The exchange followed Musk’s earlier allegation that “certain oligarchs” were blocking Starlink to protect a “monopolistic chokehold” over the Indian market. He did not name any company in that post.

The Department of Telecommunications rejected allegations that Starlink was being blocked by domestic business interests, saying India’s authorisation framework for telecom and satellite services was “fair and non-discriminatory”.

The government said security assessment requirements applied to all satellite service providers and were not specific to Starlink.

Minister of State for Communications Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani said the Department of Telecommunications had issued licences and provisional spectrum to the satellite companies, but security clearance from the Ministry of Home Affairs was still pending, as per PTI.

All Three Satcom Operators Await Clearances

The government has granted licences to Starlink, Reliance Jio’s Jio Satcom and Bharti Airtel-backed Eutelsat OneWeb. However, none can commence commercial services until the required security assessments and spectrum-related approvals are completed.

Bharti Enterprises Chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal said OneWeb was also awaiting its approvals. Jio Platforms Managing Director Akash Ambani declined to comment on Musk’s remarks, saying he had not seen them, per PTI.

Musk also rejected claims that Starlink services had been used by militants in Manipur, saying its satellite beams were switched off over India.

Starlink has said it is ready to launch in India. SpaceX Vice President Lauren Dreyer said the company had invested in infrastructure to meet Indian regulatory and security requirements, including 20 gateway sites with hundreds of antennas.