‘Dear Prime Minister Ambani’: Elon Musk takes fresh swipe over Starlink row

Elon Musk has taken another swipe at Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani, sarcastically calling him the “real boss of India” and challenging him to let Starlink compete in the country.

In a post on X on Friday, the SpaceX and Tesla chief executive addressed Ambani as “Prime Minister Ambani”, accusing him of wanting to protect his market dominance at the expense of Indian consumers.

“Please accept my humble apologies for not realising that you are the real boss of India,” Musk wrote.

He then questioned whether Ambani would allow Starlink to enter the market, arguing that the satellite internet service could bring connectivity to communities that remain without reliable internet access.

Musk said better connectivity could open up educational opportunities for children and help small businesses sell their products to customers around the world.

He also highlighted Starlink’s role during natural disasters, saying the service had helped save lives when other communication networks failed.

Friday’s post is the latest in a series of public remarks by Musk about Starlink’s delayed launch in India.

On Wednesday, Musk accused unnamed business interests of blocking the service to protect their market dominance. He made the remarks while responding to a post claiming that more than 11,000 villages in India still lacked mobile network coverage.

“Unfortunately, we are being blocked by certain oligarchs in order to maintain their monopolistic chokehold on the Indian people,” he wrote.

Musk did not name the companies or individuals he was referring to, nor did he provide evidence to support the allegation.

On Thursday, he again questioned the delay, saying Starlink had spent years meeting India’s legal and regulatory requirements. He also asked whether Ambani was the person holding up the launch.

India’s Ministry of Communications rejected claims that the country’s satellite communications rules were unfair or discriminatory.

In a statement on Thursday, the ministry said the government had established a fair authorisation framework for all telecommunications services, including satellite communications.

It added that companies must meet security requirements before spectrum can be assigned and commercial services can begin. Security assessments are currently underway, according to the government.

Three satellite communications providers have received telecommunications licences in India: Starlink, Bharti-backed Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio Satellite Communications, a subsidiary of Jio Platforms.

Starlink received its Indian telecommunications licence in 2025, but it has yet to begin commercial operations.

India is a major market for telecommunications services, with Reliance Jio, controlled by Ambani, and Bharti Airtel, led by Sunil Bharti Mittal, among its dominant operators.

SpaceX signed agreements with both companies in 2025 to help distribute Starlink services in India. However, the service still requires further regulatory clearances and spectrum allocation before it can launch commercially.

Musk has argued that Starlink could extend internet access to remote areas where traditional networks are limited, potentially giving residents, students and small businesses more ways to connect.

Starlink operates in more than 150 countries and territories, although its commercial launch in India remains pending.

In the UAE, the service officially launched in September 2026 after receiving approval from the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA).

It is also available in several other Middle Eastern markets, including Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan and Yemen.

UAE residential plans have been advertised from Dh300 per month, though capacity constraints have affected new subscriptions.