Ambani's Reliance responds to Musk's Starlink, says it welcomes competition

As Elon Musk stepped up his criticism of the Indian government and alleged that billionaire Mukesh Ambani was blocking Starlink's entry into the country, Reliance Industries hit back, saying its own satellite internet service was also awaiting government clearance.

In a pointed rebuttal, Reliance said it welcomed competition and rejected suggestions that it was seeking to prevent other companies from operating freely in India.

Musk, the world's richest man, has repeatedly accused the Indian government and Ambani of stalling Starlink's years-long efforts to enter a market with more than a billion internet subscribers. New Delhi has denied any bias in its approval process.

Reliance's statement on Friday, which did not name Musk, came days before the conglomerate's digital unit, Jio Platforms, seeks a $108 billion valuation in what could become India's largest initial public offering (IPO) to date.

Jio Platforms houses Reliance's telecom arm, which has more than 530 million customers and is a potential competitor to Starlink in India's internet market. "At Reliance, we have never feared competition," the conglomerate said in a statement addressing "remarks about Reliance and the Indian market". It said the statement was intended to "place the facts on record".

"Jio itself entered India's crowded telecom market in 2016 as the newest player, with not a single customer. In just ten years, Jio has earned the trust of over 530 million customers and given Indians some of the best digital infrastructure and most affordable data in the world," it said.
"We welcome competition in satellite communications, including Starlink. Every player, Jio included, must serve the people of India and abide by the laws and policies of the land," the statement added.

Musk's posts on X have ranged from asking whether Ambani was the "real boss" of India to calling him "Prime Minister Ambani" and questioning whether he would allow Starlink to compete in the country.

The attacks mark a sharp turn for Musk, who has maintained a warm public rapport with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. They also come as New Delhi seeks foreign investment and negotiates a trade deal with Washington.

India has granted licences to Starlink, Jio's satellite internet arm and Bharti-backed Eutelsat OneWeb to operate satellite communication services. However, none has secured the necessary security clearance to launch services.

Satellite broadband could help connect hundreds of millions of Indians who remain offline, particularly those living in rural and remote areas.

Musk has said he would make Starlink affordable in India to compete with Jio's low-cost internet plans. Affordable data has been central to Jio's rapid expansion in the country, and Musk has pursued a similar strategy in markets such as Kenya to challenge established telecom operators.

(With Reuters inputs)