Published Oct 08, 2026 | 8:53 AM ⚊ Updated Oct 08, 2026 | 8:54 AM
File photo of Elon Musk with Donald Trump.
Elon Musk has targeted “certain oligarchs” in India, accusing them of blocking Starlink’s launch in the country to protect their “monopolistic chokehold” over Indians.
The world’s only trillionaire was responding to a post by the pro-Musk handle DogeDesigner about why Starlink could make a big difference in India.
Musk, who owns X, said: “Unfortunately, we are being blocked by certain oligarchs in order to maintain their monopolistic chokehold on the Indian people. You can guess who they are… This is a crime against the people of India!”
DogeDesigner had pointed to the relatively small share of wired internet connections in India, noting that only 4.26% of the country’s internet subscriptions were wired in March 2026. It said Starlink could give underserved communities another route to high-speed broadband.
The handle also claimed that Starlink “has developed India-specific security controls designed to keep Indian user data within India”.
The exchange came on a day when SpaceX Vice President of Starlink Business Operations Lauren Dreyer said Starlink was ready to help achieve Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of 100% connectivity across India.
Airtel, Jio and Vodafone Idea dominate India’s telecom sector. Sunil Bharti Mittal owns Airtel, while Jio is a subsidiary of the Reliance group, led by Mukesh Ambani. Vodafone Idea is majority owned by the Aditya Birla Group.
Gautam Adani, India’s other major billionaire, had also entered the telecom sector after his group bought 400 MHz of 5G spectrum in 2022. The group later sold the spectrum to Airtel and exited the sector after struggling to fulfil rollout obligations.
It had been reported in late 2025 that Starlink, a satellite-based internet service, was planning to price its residential plans at Rs 8,600 per month at launch. Subscribers would also have to purchase a hardware kit for Rs 34,000. How 100% rural connectivity can be achieved at these rates is a question for Musk and team another day.
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(Edited by R Rajesh Kumar.)
