Starlink row: DoT rejects bias charge as Musk asks if Ambani is 'the real boss of India'

New Delhi: India's Department of Telecommunications (DoT) on Thursday rejected suggestions that its satellite communication licensing framework is being applied in a discriminatory manner, after Elon Musk alleged that "certain oligarchs" were delaying approval for SpaceX's Starlink internet service in the country.

In a statement, the department said security assessments for satellite communication operators are currently under way and that the same rules apply to every licensee. The statement did not name any company.

"A post is being circulated on 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 DoT said. "The suggestion that the framework or its application is unfair or discriminatory is baseless and misconceived."

The department said every satellite communication licensee is required to demonstrate compliance with specified security conditions before services can be rolled out. This, it said, is aimed at ensuring that services meet security requirements and that users and their data are protected.

Mr. Musk, the chief executive of SpaceX, renewed his criticism in a series of posts on X. He said Starlink would be of great help to parts of India that have poor or no internet, and even no mobile coverage. "No country has perfect coverage, including America, but Starlink can fill in the coverage gaps for those who most need it," he said.

In a later post, Mr. Musk named Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani and asked whether he was "the real boss of India". He also said Starlink is licensed in more than 165 countries and had spent five years complying with every law and requirement of the Government of India, asking why a licence had still not been granted.

Two other companies have secured satellite internet authorisations from the DoT: Bharti-backed OneWeb, and the satellite internet arm of Reliance Industries Ltd. The department said the security assessments of the operators are currently under way, stressing that the regulatory framework applies uniformly to all satellite communication providers.

Speaking at the India Mobile Congress in New Delhi a day earlier, SpaceX executive Lauren Dreyer said she hoped Starlink would have received approval to begin services in India by this time next year. She also said the company had already established 20 facilities in India to process Indian users' data locally.

Asked about Mr. Musk's remarks at the event on Thursday, Reliance Jio chairman Akash Ambani declined to comment.

Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi also joined the conversation on X. "Welcome to India, Elon. Wait till you discover the other guy," he posted. Mr. Musk replied, thanking Mr. Gandhi and saying, "This is indeed troubling".

This is not the first time Mr. Musk has publicly criticised a government over Starlink's regulatory delays. In January, he accused the South African government of racism over its Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment policy, which requires at least 30% ownership of foreign telecommunications licensees to be held by historically disadvantaged groups. "Starlink is not allowed to have an Internet provider license in South Africa for the sole reason that I am not Black," he had said.

Satellite internet is widely seen as a way to reach remote and underserved areas where connectivity gaps persist. Under India's licensing regime, satellite spectrum is assigned administratively rather than through auctions, and operators must meet security and data-handling conditions, including local processing of user data, before commercial rollout.