Elon Musk picks a fight with India’s richest man – again.
In recent days, Musk has criticized the delay in regulatory approval for Starlink satellite-based internet in India, pointing the finger at “certain oligarchs” who want to maintain the country’s telecom monopoly.
Musk did not name X in his post on Wednesday. On Thursday, he called Mukesh Ambani, chairman of Reliance Industries, India’s largest conglomerate.
Part of Reliance’s portfolio includes the country’s largest mobile network, Reliance Jio, for which the company has more than half a billion subscribers.
“Starlink is licensed in over 165 countries and has spent five years complying with every law and requirement of the Indian government, so why is it still unlicensed?” Musk wrote. “Is Ambani really the boss of India?”
Spokespeople for Reliance Jio and India’s Communications Ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.
Musk followed up on Friday with a sarcastic apology letter to Ambani as Prime Minister.
“I am sorry for not knowing that you are the real boss of India,” he wrote. “Of course, you would prefer to maintain the monopoly exploitation of the Indian bigwigs, but would you consider allowing Starlink to compete?”
India’s de facto prime minister is Narendra Modi, with whom Musk has a cordial, if pragmatic, relationship.
SpaceX’s Starlink has run into trouble with the Indian government and Ambani’s Reliance before.
In 2021, Starlink began taking preorders in India before it had the proper license to sell internet services, prompting the Ministry of Communications to advise the public not to subscribe to Starlink’s advertised services.
By 2024, Reliance is lobbying the Indian government to award satellite spectrum through auctions instead of administrative duties. Reliance lost that battle.
In a twist, Jio and Starlink announced a conditional distribution partnership next year, which will bring Starlink products to Jio’s retail and online stores, pending Starlink’s regulatory approval.
Starlink received a key license from the country’s telecom department around June last year, paving the way for Musk’s company to launch internet services in India.
However, the Indian government told The Indian Express that the security assessment for Starlink is still ongoing and should be completed.