Oligarchs! India reacts after Musk's claims

Central government on Thursday dismissed claims of bias in its satellite communication approvals as "baseless and misconceived," maintaining that Elon Musk’s Starlink and other global operators face an identical, non-discriminatory security vetting process before receiving spectrum."A post is being circulated in social media regarding the fairness of India’s regulatory framework for satellite communication services and suggesting that it is being applied in a discriminatory manner. The Government has put in place a fair and non-discriminatory authorisation framework for all telecommunication services, including satellite communication services," said Centre without naming Elon Musk or Starlink.— elonmusk (@elonmusk) ALSO READ | Elon Musk says Starlink's entry in India 'blocked' by oligarchs, alleges 'monopolistic chokehold'Under this, telecom licences have been granted to three Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite services based on non-geosynchronous satellite orbit based satellite communications, as part of its commitment to enable provision of satellite communication services in India, the Ministry of Communications further explained."Under the terms and conditions of license, every such licensee is required to demonstrate compliance with security conditions.""This is aimed at ensuring that services provided meet various security requirements to ensure safety of all users and their data. Security assessment as part of this process is currently under way in respect of all the three licensees. As and when this process is completed for a licensed entity, it may proceed to the next step of seeking assignment of spectrum."At present, all the three entities are at broadly the same regulatory stage, it said. As such, the suggestion that the framework or its application is "unfair or discriminatory is baseless and misconceived," the government stated.Elon Musk’s claimsElon Musk on Wednesday alleged that Starlink’s entry into India is being “blocked” by certain oligarchs seeking to protect their “monopolistic chokehold” over the country’s people, escalating his criticism of obstacles facing the satellite internet service’s India launch.“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 …,” Musk said in a post on X.“This is a crime against the people of India!” the Tesla and SpaceX chief added, without naming the individuals or companies he accused of blocking Starlink’s entry into the Indian market.Starlink renews India pushMusk’s comments come a little over a month after Starlink had renewed its efforts to enter India.ET was the first to report on August 20 that Starlink had resubmitted an application with the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) for authorisation of its Gen 2 satellite constellation.The application seeks approval for a constellation operating in low Earth orbit at an altitude of 340-615 km and incorporating newer capabilities, including direct-to-device (D2D) connectivity, people aware of the details told ET.IN-SPACe had earlier rejected Starlink’s application for its proposed 30,000-satellite constellation over non-conformity of certain features and spectrum bands. The regulator subsequently authorised Starlink’s Gen 1 constellation, comprising 4,408 satellites, in July 2025.Starlink’s renewed application comes as India works through the regulatory framework for satellite communications, including spectrum allocation and the possible introduction of D2D services.Regulatory hurdlesSatellite operators require IN-SPACe authorisation before starting services in India. However, commercial satellite services by non-geostationary satellite operators have yet to begin, with security clearances and spectrum allocation among the issues involved.The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has already made recommendations on pricing for satellite spectrum, while the government is yet to take a final decision. Trai is also examining D2D services, which could allow satellite networks to supplement mobile connectivity directly to consumer devices.D2D has emerged as a particularly sensitive issue for traditional telecom operators, which have argued that satellite companies offering such services should face comparable regulatory obligations.Starlink is competing for a share of India’s emerging satellite communications market against players including Reliance Jio’s proposed low Earth orbit constellation, Amazon Leo and Eutelsat OneWeb.SpaceX has plans for a much larger Gen 2 constellation of around 42,000 satellites globally, while its current India application seeks authorisation for nearly 30,000 satellites.