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Sunl Mittal Responds To Elon Musk: Bharti Also Awaiting Satcom Approvals
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Moneycontrol•08-10-2026, 14:00
Sunl Mittal Responds To Elon Musk: Bharti Also Awaiting Satcom Approvals
- •Bharti Airtel chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal clarified that his satcom venture Eutelsat OneWeb is also awaiting regulatory approvals to start operations in India.
- •Mittal's comments come in response to Elon Musk's allegations that certain oligarchs have blocked Starlink in India to maintain their monopoly.
- •The Indian government dismissed Musk's allegations, stating that the authorization framework is fair, non-discriminatory, and applies equally to all licensees.
- •All three satcom players including Starlink, Jio Satcom, and Eutelsat OneWeb have received licenses but still require spectrum and security clearance before rolling out services.
Key Questions Answered
Sunil Bharti Mittal dismissed Elon Musk's claims that Starlink is being blocked in India to maintain a monopoly, stating that his own satcom venture, Eutelsat OneWeb, is also awaiting approvals to start operations.
Although all three companies have been granted licenses, they must still obtain spectrum and complete security clearance assessments before they can roll out their services.
The telecom ministry stated that India has established a fair, non-discriminatory authorization framework where proving compliance with security norms is mandatory for every satcom licensee to protect users and data.
