‘Is Ambani the real boss of India’, asks Elon Musk, as Centre refutes bias in Starlink authorisation

Elon Musk doubled down on his criticism, amplifying several posts supporting Starlink’s launch in India. | Photo Credit: Reuters

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) on Thursday (October 8, 2026) rejected allegations that it was shielding oligarchs from competition by delaying approvals for SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service in India.

Trillionaire Elon Musk, however, doubled down on his criticism on Thursday (October 8, 2026), amplifying several posts supporting Starlink’s launch in India, also questioning industrialist Mukesh Ambani, asking if he was the “real boss” of India.

“Starlink will be of great help to areas of India that have bad or no Internet and even no mobile coverage,” Mr. Musk said. “No country has perfect coverage, including America, but Starlink can fill in the coverage gaps for those who most need it.” In a subsequent post, Mr. Musk named Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani, asking if the latter was “the real boss of India”.

“Starlink is licensed in over 165 countries and has spent five years complying with every single law and requirement of the government of India, so why still no license,” he asked.