'Starlink Being Blocked By Certain Oligarchs To Maintain Monopoly On Indian People', Says Elon Musk

 

 

Even as SpaceX's Starlink is inching closer to launching its satellite internet service in India, a few regulatory hurdles are keeping the company from doing so.

This became evident in a post by the founder of Starlink Elon Musk on X on Wednesday. With several gateway sites already built and key licences secured, Starlink is waiting for the remaining approvals to begin commercial operations. In the post, Musk accused unnamed Indian "oligarchs" of blocking Starlink to protect their grip on the country's telecom market.

 

"Unfortunately, we are being blocked by certain oligarchs in order to maintain their monopolistic chokehold on the Indian people. You can guess who they are … This is a crime against the people of India!," he wrote in the post.

Musk responded to a post by DogeDesigner who said, "India needs@Starlink." The post further said, "11,256 of India’s listed villages still lacked 4G coverage as of May 2026. India had 1.093 billion internet subscriptions in March 2026, but only 440.87 million were rural. Rural subscription density was 48.31 per 100 people, compared with 126.80 in urban India. BharatNet had laid over 850,000 route-km of fibre and made about 221,000 Gram Panchayats service-ready. However, its Points of Presence were reported operational at only 80,472 Gram Panchayats in June 2026. Only 4.26% of India’s internet subscriptions were wired connections in March 2026. India should complete the remaining clearances and spectrum allocation so Starlink can begin commercial service".

 

Starlink has built its operations in India to meet the security and regulatory requirements, a senior SpaceX executive had said recently.

Speaking at the 10th India Mobile Congress in Delhi, Starlink Business Operations VP Lauren Dreyer said the company has spent the past five years working closely with Indian regulators, industry and operators to understand how to adapt and prepare Starlink's operations in India to serve its citizens. "We are ready to serve in India, once India is ready," she had said.