Elon Musk announced that SpaceX will offer Starlink satellite internet at an affordable price in India, a move that comes just days before Reliance Jio’s parent company plans its largest-ever initial public offering. Musk’s comments were posted on his social media platform X, where he noted that Indian mobile data costs only about eight cents per gigabyte, one of the lowest rates worldwide.
In his X post, Musk said he would set Starlink’s pricing in India so that it remains accessible, stressing that competition would benefit the average citizen by providing more choices. He added that while Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Jio could see lower profits, the company would not go out of business.
The remarks come as Jio Platforms targets a valuation of $106 billion in its IPO. Like SpaceX’s Starlink, Jio’s own satellite venture is still awaiting final security clearance. Musk’s statements accuse Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government and Ambani of stalling Starlink’s entry into the market to favour Jio, marking a sharp shift in his public stance toward the Indian administration.
India’s government has denied bias in the approval process, noting that all three satellite ventures—Starlink, Jio, and a third—are pending the same security clearance. Musk later taunted Ambani directly, calling him “Prime Minister Ambani” and asking whether he would allow Starlink to compete. Reliance has not responded to requests for comment on the remarks.
