Elon Musk Accuses Mukesh Ambani of Blocking Starlink in India

The clash centers on Starlink’s prolonged wait for commercial approval in India. Musk has characterized Ambani as a puppet master of the Indian government, questioning whether the Reliance head acts as the nation's true leader. These remarks follow Musk's earlier claims that unnamed oligarchs were obstructing his satellite venture to shield their domestic telecom interests.

Reliance Jio, the telecom arm of Ambani’s conglomerate, has not responded to the public sparring. Meanwhile, India’s Ministry of Communications maintains that Starlink is undergoing standard security assessments alongside other applicants, including Jio’s partner SES and Airtel’s Eutelsat OneWeb. Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia rejected claims of favoritism, asserting that the country forbids monopolistic practices across all sectors.

This regulatory stalemate is compounded by past friction over spectrum allocation. While Starlink successfully lobbied for administrative assignment, the broader market remains difficult for the tech mogul. Beyond the satellite impasse, Tesla has struggled to gain traction in the region, with import duties keeping vehicle prices nearly double their U.S. levels and sales figures lagging significantly behind expectations.