MUMBAI (Oct 16): India's Reliance Industries rejected on Friday suggestions it was blocking Elon Musk's Starlink satellite internet service in the country, saying it welcomed competition and had "never feared" rivals.

The statement came days after the tech billionaire accused "oligarchs" of preventing Starlink's rollout in India to protect their monopolies, reigniting a long-running debate over access to the country's lucrative telecommunications market.

"We see it as the truest test of who serves the customer best," Reliance said in a statement. "We welcome competition in satellite communications, including Starlink."

The conglomerate, owned by billionaire Mukesh Ambani, said it was responding to recent remarks about Reliance and the Indian market but did not directly name Musk.

The potential launch of Starlink, which provides high-speed internet access to remote locations by low Earth orbit satellites, has seen fierce debate in India over issues ranging from pricing to spectrum allocation.

In March 2025, telecommunications operator Jio Platforms, Reliance's digital arm, signed an agreement with Musk's SpaceX to offer Starlink services to its customers.

However, Starlink has yet to launch, with Jio's own satellite service still awaiting regulatory clearance.

Earlier this month, Musk wrote on X that Starlink was being "blocked" in India.

"Unfortunately, we are being blocked by certain oligarchs in order to maintain their monopolistic chokehold on the Indian people," Musk said.

"You can guess who they are...this is a crime against the people of India!"

In a subsequent post, Musk addressed Ambani directly, calling him the "prime minister" in an apparent jibe at his perceived closeness with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Soon after, India's Communications Ministry, without mentioning Musk, said the government maintained a "fair and non-discriminatory authorisation framework" for all telecom services.

Reliance said on Friday that every operator, including Jio, "must serve the people of India and abide by the laws and policies of the land".

The dispute comes as Reliance pushes deeper into telecommunications and digital services, key pillars of Ambani's drive to diversify the conglomerate beyond its oil refining and petrochemicals roots.

The comments also follow Jio's announcement this week that it plans to raise US$3.2 billion (RM13.1 billion) in what would be India's largest initial public offering, after unveiling pricing details ahead of next week's share sale.

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