India has pointed to its regulatory framework for satellite internet services after tech billionaire Elon Musk accused unnamed “oligarchs” of gatekeeping Starlink to protect their monopolies.
The potential launch of Starlink, which provides high-speed internet to remote areas through low Earth orbit satellites, has sparked debate in India over pricing and spectrum allocation.
In March 2025, Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Jio Platforms signed a deal with Musk’s SpaceX to offer Starlink’s satellite internet service to its customers.
However, the service has yet to launch in India.
On Wednesday, Musk accused unnamed business interests of obstructing its entry into the market.
“Unfortunately, we are being blocked by certain oligarchs in order to maintain their monopolistic chokehold on the Indian people,” he wrote on X, calling it “a crime against the people of India”.
India points to regulatory framework
India’s Ministry of Communications said on Thursday that the government had established a “fair and non-discriminatory authorisation framework for all telecommunication services”.
Without directly naming Musk, the ministry referred to a social media post questioning the fairness of India’s regulatory framework for satellite communications.
It said licences had been granted to satellite service providers as part of the government’s commitment to enabling such services in India, without naming the companies.
“Security assessment as part of this process is currently under way in respect of all the three licensees,” the ministry said.
“As and when this process is completed for a licensed entity, it may proceed to the next step.”
