Starlink Renews India Push as Reliance Defends Satellite Approval Rules

The dispute centres on access to India's satellite internet market. Elon Musk has suggested that Mukesh Ambani is blocking Starlink's launch, according to Forbes. That is an allegation, not an established explanation for the delay.

Other applicants say they are waiting too. Bloomberg reported that Sunil Mittal, asked about Musk's remarks concerning Indian telecom billionaires, said several companies awaited regulatory approvals and that he believed he was ahead of Musk in the queue.

On October 14, Bharti Enterprises Founder and Chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal asserted that his group was ahead of Starlink in securing satellite connectivity approvals, according to Times now.

Speaking at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum 2026, Mittal put a number on that wait. "I think I am significantly ahead in the queue from him. I applied five years back," Business Line - Home reported. His statement described his own assessment of the queue, not a confirmed government timetable.

By October 16, the dispute had drawn a public response from Reliance. Scroll.in reported that the company's statement followed repeated accusations by Musk that the conglomerate and "oligarchs" were stalling Starlink's launch.

Reliance said it welcomed competition while insisting that all players must comply with Indian laws. According to India News, the company said that requirement included Jio and that the government process was the same for everyone.

On October 17, Starlink reiterated its readiness to provide high-speed internet connectivity in India, Times now reported. The fresh push followed Reliance's response and kept the question of approvals at the centre of the exchange.

Reliance says Jio's own satellite services still await clearances. "At Reliance, we have never feared competition. We see it as the truest test of who serves the customer best," the company said, according to The Hindu.

Starlink's latest statement cites government approvals, according to Business Line - Home. But the supplied coverage does not spell out which approvals it holds or whether every requirement for launch has been met. Readiness to offer service, claims about queue position and clearance to begin operations remain separate issues.

The next concrete development will be clarity on the outstanding permissions and whether any applicant receives clearance to start service. Mittal's claim to be ahead, Reliance's account of its pending clearances and Starlink's statement of readiness do not establish who will launch first.

A government decision or a confirmed service launch would carry more weight than the public exchanges. The coverage provided gives no firm launch date.