India Rejects Musk’s “Oligarchs” Claim Over Starlink, Says Satellite Rules Are Fair and Non-Discriminatory

Musk had alleged unnamed "oligarchs" were blocking Starlink to protect a monopolistic hold on consumers

October 8, 2026

India's government has rejected Elon Musk's claim that "oligarchs" are blocking Starlink, calling it baseless and misconceived

Communications Ministry says all three licensed GMPCS operators are at broadly the same regulatory stage

The Union government on Thursday rejected allegations of discrimination in India’s satellite communication regulatory framework, a day after Elon Musk claimed that certain “oligarchs” were blocking the launch of his satellite internet company, Starlink, in the country.

A statement from the Ministry of Communications said it had established a fair and non-discriminatory authorisation framework for all telecommunications services, including satellite communications. Suggestions that the framework, or its implementation, was discriminatory were described as “baseless and misconceived.”

What Musk said

In a post on X on Wednesday, Musk wrote that Starlink was “being blocked by certain oligarchs in order to maintain their monopolistic chokehold on the Indian people,” adding, “You can guess who they are” and calling the situation “a crime against the people of India.” He did not name anyone. The post was a reply to the X account DogeDesigner, which had called for India to complete Starlink‘s remaining clearances and spectrum allocation. India’s telecom market is dominated by Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel, which together hold over 80 per cent market share. Reports note that both companies partnered with Starlink in March 2025 to expand satellite internet access, and that Musk’s allegation is not a finding that the regulatory process has been captured.

The government’s response

The ministry said licences have been granted to three providers of Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite (GMPCS) services using non-geosynchronous satellite orbit systems, and that all three are currently at “broadly the same regulatory stage.” It added that every licensed operator must demonstrate compliance with security conditions before moving to the next stage of seeking spectrum assignment.

Background to the delay

Starlink’s India launch has been stalled for some time. Bloomberg reported in June that regulators had frozen approvals over security concerns, which the company has denied. Analysts have pointed to questions about how Starlink terminals would be geofenced and whether user data would be localised. This week, Starlink Vice President Lauren Dreyer said the company has built 20 gateway sites in India and developed India-specific security controls, including keeping Indian user data within the country.

Separate Manipur claim

Musk also separately disputed claims that Starlink devices were being used by insurgent groups in India, after the Indian Army shared photographs of seized equipment in Manipur, with some social media users noting one device carried a Starlink logo. “Starlink beams are turned off over India, so the claim that they were used by anyone for any reason is absolutely false,” he wrote on X. Officials have said agencies are investigating how the equipment reached the state.

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