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Reliance Responds to Elon Musk Over Starlink Claims
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Firstpost•16-10-2026, 08:58
Reliance Responds to Elon Musk Over Starlink Claims
- •Reliance Industries stated that India's regulatory rules must apply equally to all domestic and international companies.
- •The response followed Elon Musk and SpaceX executives accusing the Indian government of favoring established telecom operators over Starlink.
- •Reliance noted that its own Jio satellite services are also currently awaiting regulatory clearances.
- •The telecom ministry dismissed claims of unfair treatment as baseless, stating that all satellite ventures are undergoing consistent security assessments.
Key Questions Answered
Elon Musk accused the Indian government of favoring established telecom operators over competing players, leading to frustrations over delays in obtaining final regulatory approvals for Starlink to launch its services in India.
Reliance responded that India's rules must apply equally to domestic and international companies, noting that its own satellite services under Jio are also awaiting clearances and that the government applies the same process to every applicant.
India's telecommunications ministry rejected claims of unfair treatment as baseless and misconceived, maintaining that the approval framework is applied consistently and that multiple satellite communication ventures are undergoing similar security assessments.
