Reliance Industries welcomes Starlink competition in India

Reliance Industries has stated that it welcomes competition in the satellite communications sector in India, including from Elon Musk’s Starlink. In a statement, the company emphasized that all operators, including its own venture Jio, must comply with Indian laws and policies. This response follows remarks by Musk alleging that certain Indian entities were attempting to block Starlink’s market entry.

Starlink has responded by stating it has worked with Indian regulators for over five years and has developed local infrastructure, including gateways and systems, to serve Indian traffic securely. The company expressed readiness to launch high-speed internet services once necessary approvals are secured.

The Indian Ministry of Communications noted that Starlink, Jio Satellite Communications, and Eutelsat OneWeb are at similar regulatory stages, all awaiting security clearances and spectrum allocation. Meanwhile, Bharti Airtel chairman Sunil Mittal indicated that his company applied for a satellite internet license five years ago and is ahead in the regulatory queue.