Elon Musk took to X on Wednesday to say Starlink is being held back in India by entrenched interests. He wrote, "We are being blocked by certain oligarchs in order to maintain their monopolistic chokehold on the Indian people," without naming anyone, and added, "You can guess who they are." In a separate message, he said Starlink in India would "enable high-speed, affordable internet connectivity for those who cannot afford current prices."
India's telecom and internet services market is led by Mukesh Ambani's Jio and Sunil Mittal's Airtel, which together control more than 80% of the market. In June, Jio Platforms outlined plans to bring low Earth orbit satellite communications to India. Akash Ambani told shareholders the company aims to speed up satellite connectivity by working with major constellation operators and renting satellite capacity.
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Last year, SpaceX said it had struck agreements with Jio and with Bharti Airtel, India's second largest telecom operator, to help roll out Starlink across the country. Progress appears limited so far, and Starlink has not launched service in India. CNBC has asked Airtel and Reliance Industries for comment.
Speaking Wednesday at India Mobile Congress, Lauren Dreyer, who leads Starlink business operations at SpaceX as a vice president, said the network now includes 11,000 satellites, providing connectivity in over 170 countries. She added that Starlink collaborates with public and private entities to connect remote areas and emphasized the firm has been "working for years" in India, citing a memorandum of understanding that includes Airtel and Reliance Jio.
Regulators in India have also raised security-related objections to Elon Musk's satellite internet venture, a characterization the company rejects. Bloomberg reported in June that officials in New Delhi had halted approvals out of concern that Starlink terminals might be used even without a license. Neil Shah, a partner at Counterpoint Research, said authorities are wary of a foreign provider operating in a sensitive area like satellite communications, with open questions around geofencing of terminals and where data will be stored. Shah said Starlink is likely to receive the green light around the time domestic players roll out their own satellite internet services, and warned that launching without a "level playing field" could let Starlink dominate the Indian satellite market.
If Starlink eventually clears the gate in India, a market dominated by Jio and Airtel could look very different, especially outside major cities. For investors, the bigger story is timing: regulators, local satellite plans, and existing tie ups all point to a coordinated start rather than a lone Starlink sprint. That mix can ripple into device makers, satellite capacity vendors and anyone betting on better connectivity for the last mile.
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