NEW DELHI: Reliance Industries has welcomed Elon Musk’s Starlink to India, saying it has never feared competition and that its own satellite services are also in the queue.The statement comes as a response to Musk’s repeated allegations that vested interests were obstructing Starlink’s entry into India. Reliance, however, stressed that all companies must comply with Indian laws and regulations, adding that priority is to serve the people.In a statement released on Friday, the company said India’s investment and innovation landscape was open to both domestic and foreign players, with the same regulatory process applying to all applicants.The statement, posted on social media platform X, stated, “In light of recent remarks about Reliance and the Indian market, we wish to place the facts on record. Like every Indian enterprise, Reliance has grown in an India that welcomes investment and innovation, homegrown or international, that improve the lives of the people. That openness rests on the rule of law. As the Government of India has stated, it applies the same process to every applicant, Indian or foreign. Jio‘s own satellite services await clearances.”The telecom firm further added, “At Reliance, we have never feared competition. We see it as the truest test of who serves the customer best. 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. 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.”
Musk accuses Reliance of opposing Starlink’s entry
Reliance’s statement came after SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk accused the Indian conglomerate of benefiting from the existing market structure and alleged that arguments against Starlink’s entry were contradictory.In a post on X, Musk had said, “The ridiculous arguments by Ambani’s army of Internet shills make no sense. On the one hand, they say Starlink couldn’t possibly compete with the amazing low prices offered by Ambani’s de facto monopoly in India and then, in the same breath, they essentially claim that Starlink would be too strong of a competitor! This is absurd hypocrisy and hyperbole.”Musk argued that greater competition would give Indian consumers more choices, even if it reduced the profits of existing players. However, he said, this would not necessarily threaten their businesses.“The reality is that competition would greatly benefit the average citizen in India by giving them more choices, as it always does. Ambani’s profits will be lower, but he is not going out of business,” he wrote.Musk had previously alleged monopolistic practices in India’s telecommunications market and questioned the regulatory barriers facing Starlink’s commercial launch in the country.In another post, he directly addressed the government, writing, “Dear Prime Minister Ambani, Please accept my humble apologies for not realizing that you are the real boss of India. Naturally, you would prefer to maintain your monopolistic exploitation of the great people of India, but would you nonetheless consider allowing Starlink to compete?”The government has denied Musk’s allegation that Starlink was being discriminated against at the instance of a “local oligarch”.
Government asks Starlink to comply with law
Union communications minister Jyotiraditya Scindia has said that there is no question of allowing a monopoly in satellite communications. He also said three entities are in line for final approval for commercial licences.Scindia said that India was close to taking a final decision on the pricing framework for satellite communication services. All licensed operators, including Starlink, must meet security requirements before beginning commercial operations.Starlink is yet to receive clearance to launch its services in India because it has not agreed to comply with regulations requiring satellite internet providers to establish domestic infrastructure, a senior government official said earlier this week.The government has no objection to the company rolling out its services once it addresses security concerns and agrees to establish local base stations, sources said.A base station is a radio transmitter and receiver that acts as a local hub, or the “first hop”, connecting end-user devices to a wireless network. The requirement to establish base stations is intended to help authorities ensure compliance with the law.Reliance Jio, Sunil Bharti Mittal-backed Eutelsat OneWeb and Musk’s Starlink are the three entities planning to launch satellite communication services in India.Bharti Enterprises chairperson Sunil Bharti Mittal has also said that Airtel’s satellite venture, Eutelsat OneWeb, could receive regulatory approval before Starlink because it applied earlier and is further along in the process.
