Starlink’s planned entry into India has come under renewed attention after SpaceX CEO Elon Musk alleged that unnamed “certain oligarchs” were preventing the satellite internet company from starting operations in the country.
“Unfortunately, we are being blocked by certain oligarchs in order to maintain their monopolistic chokehold on the Indian people. You can guess who they are… This is a crime against the people of India!” Musk said in a post on X. He did not identify any company or group.
Musk was responding to a post calling for Starlink to enter India and highlighting the company’s potential to provide connectivity to remote parts of the country. The post noted that 11,256 listed villages in India still lacked 4G coverage as of May 2026. It also said BharatNet had laid more than 850,000 route-km of fibre and made around 221,000 Gram Panchayats service-ready, while only 80,472 Gram Panchayat Points of Presence were reported operational in June 2026.
Starlink is one of 3 companies seeking to provide satellite broadband services in India. The other applicants are Eutelsat OneWeb, backed by Bharti Group, and Jio Satellite Communications, backed by Reliance Industries. Both have received licences but are awaiting security clearances.
Jio is also developing its own low-Earth-orbit satellite constellation, while Amazon Leo is exploring an entry into the Indian market.
The Department of Telecommunications has approved a spectrum charge of 5% of adjusted gross revenue, but the proposal is yet to receive approval from the Union Cabinet. Commercial operations will depend on the remaining government approvals and clearances.
Musk’s comments came hours after Lauren Dreyer, Vice President of Starlink Business Operations at SpaceX, said the company was ready to begin operations once it received government approval.
“We are standing ready to serve India once India is ready. We’re ready to work with the government. We are ready to work with operators and with industry to this end. We are ready to help Prime Minister Modi achieve his vision of 100% connectivity throughout India — a vision all of our company, including Elon, shares,” Dreyer said at the India Mobile Congress.
“Hopefully, next time I address the Congress, the government’s work will be complete, and Starlink will be authorised and ready,” she added.
Starlink is awaiting security clearance and approval for foreign direct investment. The company has already received permission from IN-SPACe and a Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite licence.
Dreyer said Starlink has already invested in India and has more than 20 gateway sites ready for operations. The company has also been working to meet Indian security and regulatory requirements.
According to Dreyer, Starlink has spent the past 5 years building relationships with industry and state governments, including partnerships with Airtel and Jio, to understand the Indian market and prepare for operations.
“We have built our Starlink operations specifically for India in recognition of Indian security requirements and other regulations, establishing controls at every layer for India and keeping Indian user data within India. We have already made the investment and built the existing ground infrastructure here — 20 gateway sites comprising hundreds of antennas — and we have established the operations to be ready to serve India,” she said.
Dreyer also highlighted the challenge of bridging India’s digital divide and said connectivity would require cooperation between governments, private companies and technology providers.
She described India’s progress in digital connectivity as “extraordinary” but said the last mile remains the most difficult part to address.
“It’s the most challenging to connect. It’s also where Starlink offers the biggest potential to help accelerate the speed to connect 100% of India. With Starlink, people can get connected within minutes, not years,” she said.
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