As India’s satellite internet market awaits regulatory approvals, Elon Musk has pledged to keep Starlink’s service affordable, setting the stage for greater competition with Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Jio just days before its parent company prepares for a record-breaking IPO.
Jio Platforms, which owns the telecom business, is targeting a valuation of $106 billion in the offering. Like SpaceX-owned Starlink, Jio’s satellite internet venture is also waiting for final security clearance before launching its services.
Low-cost data helped Jio build its position in India. Musk has used a similar pricing strategy in markets such as Kenya to challenge local telecom operators. SpaceX is also planning to enter the mobile carrier market, beginning in the United States.
Musk has not announced Starlink’s India pricing, where mobile data costs around $0.08 per gigabyte, among the lowest rates globally.
“Obviously, if Starlink is too expensive in India, no one will buy it, so SpaceX will need to make pricing affordable,” Musk said in a post on his social media platform X on Saturday.
“The reality is that competition would greatly benefit the average citizen in India by giving them more choices, as it always does. Ambani’s profits will be lower, but he is not going out of business,” he added.
Musk accuses government of delaying Starlink’s entry
Musk’s latest comments follow a series of posts accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government and Ambani of delaying Starlink’s entry into India to protect Jio’s market position.
The remarks mark a shift in Musk’s public relationship with Modi, with whom he has maintained a warm rapport for years.
The Indian government has denied favouring any company in the approval process. It has said that all 3 satellite ventures seeking to launch services, including Starlink and Jio, are awaiting final security clearance.
Late on Friday, Musk directly addressed Ambani as “Prime Minister Ambani” and asked whether he would “consider allowing Starlink to compete”.
Reliance has not responded to requests for comment on Musk’s remarks.
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