Elon Musk questions Indian billionaire Ambani's influence as Starlink faces delays

Elon Musk has slammed Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani for protecting his business interests and challenged him to allow competition from Starlink in India.

In a sarcastic post on X on Friday, the SpaceX and Tesla chief executive called Ambani “Prime Minister Ambani” and wrote: “Please accept my humble apologies for not realising that you are the real boss of India.”

"Naturally, you [Ambani] would prefer to maintain your monopolistic exploitation of the great people of India, but would you nonetheless consider allowing Starlink to compete?"

Tweet by Elon Musk

Musk accused unnamed business interests of trying to keep Starlink out of India to protect their dominance. On Wednesday, he made the allegation while replying to a post claiming that more than 11,000 villages in the country had no mobile network coverage.

The dispute comes as Starlink seeks approval to enter one of the world's largest internet markets. Reliance Jio, owned by Ambani, and Bharti Airtel, led by Sunil Mittal, are among the country's leading telecom operators.

Musk has said his company spent years meeting India's requirements but has yet to launch its services there.

Starlink uses satellites to provide internet access, including in places where traditional networks may be limited. Musk has argued that the service could help connect underserved communities, give children better access to education and allow small businesses to reach customers around the world.

In an earlier post on X, Musk directly questioned Ambani's influence, asking: “Is Ambani the real boss of India?”