Starlink has said it is ready to provide high-speed internet services in India, responding to Reliance Industries’ call for all satellite communication providers to follow the country’s laws and policies.
The company said it had worked with Indian regulators, industry participants and operators for more than five years and had built dedicated systems, gateways and other infrastructure within the country to serve Indian traffic. Starlink said these systems had received the requisite government approvals.
“Starlink is ready to connect India with high-speed internet,” the company said in a post on X.
The response followed a statement from Reliance Industries after Elon Musk accused certain business groups of obstructing Starlink’s entry into India. Musk later named Reliance chairman Mukesh Ambani in a series of posts. The government has rejected Musk’s allegations.
Reliance said it welcomed competition in satellite communications but maintained that every company, including its own telecom business Jio, must comply with Indian laws and policies. “That openness rests on the rule of law,” the company said, adding that the same process applied to Indian and foreign applicants.
Reliance also said Jio’s satellite services were awaiting clearances. Starlink, Reliance Jio and Eutelsat OneWeb have received licences to provide satellite communication services in India, while Amazon’s Project Kuiper is seeking a licence, according to the report.
The remaining regulatory process includes the allocation of satellite spectrum and compliance with security requirements. Union communications minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said spectrum would be assigned after the government finalised the revenue-sharing framework and companies met the required security conditions.
Satellite internet services are expected to extend connectivity to remote areas where laying conventional broadband infrastructure is difficult. Unlike fixed-line networks, satellite systems can serve locations where terrain, distance or low population density make physical network expansion more challenging.
The competing positions from Starlink and Reliance underline that market entry will depend not only on licences but also on spectrum allocation, security approvals and the final framework for sharing revenue from satellite services. The government’s pending decisions will determine when licensed providers can move from regulatory approval to commercial operations.
Starlink’s statement places the company’s readiness on record, but the report does not specify a commercial launch date or consumer pricing. The next formal milestones are the government’s finalisation of the revenue-sharing framework, spectrum assignment and completion of security requirements.
