Starlink Answers Reliance’s ‘We Welcome Competition’ Statement in India

Image: Starlink

Reliance Industries says it welcomes satellite competition in India, “including Starlink,” and Starlink has now answered back. That’s according to a Reliance statement posted on X at 7:15 PM PT Thursday, and a quote-post from Starlink’s account at 10:27 AM PT Friday that answered it.

The statement doesn’t name Elon Musk, but it opens by referring to “recent remarks about Reliance and the Indian market.” It says the Indian government “applies the same process to every applicant, Indian or foreign,” and adds that “Jio’s own satellite services await clearances.” It also says Reliance has “never feared competition” and ends with a line that every player, Jio included, “must serve the people of India and abide by the laws and policies of the land.”

Starlink’s reply doesn’t mention Jio or Musk. It says the company has “worked closely with regulators, industry and operators in India for 5+ years” and built dedicated systems and gateways “all in-country to exclusively serve Indian traffic safely and securely,” “all with the requisite government approvals.” It closes with “Starlink is ready to connect India with high-speed internet.” Neither post gives a launch date or says when India’s reviews will finish.

The exchange follows a week of escalating posts from Musk. On October 8 he asked whether “Ambani” is “the real boss of India,” and on October 9 he posted a mock open letter to “Prime Minister Ambani” that asked: “would you nonetheless consider allowing Starlink to compete?” Mukesh Ambani chairs Reliance, and its statement is the first public response from the company that we’ve seen. As of our October 13 report, Reliance had not publicly responded.

Reliance’s line about the government tracks what India’s Ministry of Communications said on October 8. The ministry called its satellite rules “fair and non-discriminatory” and said security assessments were under way for all three licensed operators, which are Starlink, Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio Satellite Communications, Reliance’s joint venture with SES. It said they were at “broadly the same regulatory stage,” and only after that review can an operator seek spectrum.

Starlink’s road into India has been long. The government ordered SpaceX to stop taking Indian preorders in 2021, and Starlink won its satellite license in June 2025 and authorization from space regulator IN-SPACe the following month. Security clearance and spectrum are still outstanding, as we noted when the fight began.

Gateways have become a sticking point. Swadeshi Jagran Manch, a group affiliated with the RSS, urged the government on Tuesday to deny Starlink permission, arguing the government wants Indian traffic routed through gateways within India. Starlink’s post says its gateways are in-country and carry only Indian traffic, but the ministry hasn’t said when its security review will finish.

Reliance’s post also doesn’t mention the March 2025 deal under which Jio agreed to sell Starlink hardware, pending Starlink’s own approvals, so it is still unclear whether that deal stands. With both companies now on the record, who do you think clears India’s security review first, Starlink or Jio?