On October 10, the world's richest man, Musk, posted the following message on his own social platform X: "Dear Prime Minister Ambani, please forgive my earlier oversight in not realizing that you are the one who truly holds power in India." The tone was respectful; the content, biting.

He continued: "You presumably prefer to maintain your monopolistic exploitation of the vast Indian populace, but could you perhaps consider allowing Starlink to compete in the market?" After all, India's Prime Minister's surname is Modi, not Ambani. By deliberately addressing Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani as "Prime Minister," Musk was pointing a finger directly at him and saying: you are the one who truly calls the shots in India. This long-distance sparring alarmed the Indian government and brought a long-obscured question to the surface: why has the world's largest satellite internet company been unable to open India's door for five full years?

The full translation reads: Dear Prime Minister Ambani, I sincerely apologize for not having realized earlier that you are the true helmsman of India. You naturally wish to maintain your monopolistic operations over the vast Indian populace. Even so, I wonder if you might consider permitting Starlink to participate in market competition? Like all countries in the world, India still has many regions without internet access. Local children are deprived of educational opportunities because of this, and small businesses cannot sell their products to global markets. Starlink could improve their lives. Thank you. Elon Musk. No longer was Musk being polite and low-key about his earlier "oligarch" tweets. The billionaire head of SpaceX has now publicly named the Ambani family, accusing them of monopolistic behavior in India's telecommunications industry. Elon Musk stated that "oligarchs" are blocking Starlink's deployment in India in order to protect their own monopoly interests.

Three Posts in Five Days: The World's Richest Man Publicly "Curses"

The matter began on October 8. That day, Musk reposted a post stating that "more than 11,000 villages in India still lack mobile network coverage" and fired off a caption: "Unfortunately, we are being blocked by certain oligarchs whose goal is to maintain their monopolistic suppression of the Indian people. You can guess who. This is a crime against the people of India!" No names, no evidence, but everyone knew who he meant. India's telecommunications and internet market is controlled by two major families: Ambani's Reliance Jio and Mittal's Bharti Airtel. India's Ministry of Communications issued a rare public statement the next day in response, saying that claims about an "unfair and discriminatory" regulatory framework were baseless and constituted a mistaken perception. The statement failed to extinguish the fire.

On October 9, Musk named names directly: "Starlink has obtained licenses in over 165 countries and has complied with every Indian law and requirement for five years. Why still no license? Is Ambani the real boss of India?" Then came the famous "apology letter" of October 10. Capital markets reacted immediately. On Thursday, Bharti Airtel shares fell about 1% intraday, while Reliance Industries dropped about 1.1%.

Why Musk Is So Anxious

Musk's anger is backed by real costs. SpaceX has worked for a full five years to enter the Indian market. As early as 2021, Starlink attempted to accept pre-orders in India, only to be classified by the Indian government as "launching services without necessary permits" and forced to refund all pre-order payments. In March 2025, SpaceX swallowed its pride and separately signed distribution agreements with Jio and Airtel, effectively agreeing to sell its own terminals through the two oligarchs' stores. In mid-2025, Starlink finally obtained a satellite communications license issued by India's telecommunications department. Lauren Dreyer, Starlink's Vice President of Business Operations, disclosed this week at the India Mobile Congress that the company has deployed more than 20 gateway ground stations and hundreds of ground antennas in India, with user data stored within Indian territory, and has adjusted its operations in accordance with India's security standards and data sovereignty regulations. Forms were submitted, stamps were affixed, and hands were shaken with the local giants, yet the business simply cannot open.

A horizontal comparison between Starlink's global scale and its India progress is even more striking. Starlink currently has approximately 11,000 satellites in orbit, serving over 165 countries and regions. Even the UAE officially launched service in September 2026. It is blooming everywhere globally, yet in India, the world's most populous country, not a single commercial terminal has been sold in five years.

Eighty Percent Market Share and Two Domestic Licenses

Is Musk's accusation of "oligarch obstruction" baseless? First, look at the market structure. According to data from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, Jio and Airtel together serve approximately 910 million broadband users, with a combined market share exceeding 80%. Over the years, the two have spent hundreds of billions of dollars building 4G, 5G base stations and fiber optic networks. If Starlink opens smoothly, rural users could buy a terminal and pay a monthly fee to get online without waiting for base stations to reach the mountains, which would be a direct dimensional strike against the two giants' revenues in remote areas.

The order in which licenses were issued is even more telling. The Indian government has issued a total of three satellite communications licenses: one to Jio Satellite, Ambani's own company; one to Eutelsat OneWeb, whose largest shareholder is precisely the Bharti Group behind Airtel; and the third only went to Starlink, which received it last among the three. On the surface, all are treated equally, but in reality, the two major domestic families had already pocketed their admission tickets.

Domestic players have not been idle either. In June of this year, Jio announced it was evaluating the construction of India's own low-earth-orbit satellite constellation, while also cooperating with European satellite operator SES to develop satellite broadband. Neil Shah, a partner at research firm Counterpoint Research, judged that Starlink will likely have to wait until domestic Indian companies have built their own satellite internet services before it can hope for approval. Otherwise, allowing Starlink in without a "level playing field" would let it directly dominate the entire market.

Comparison of Indian Telecom Oligarchs' Wealth

According to the Forbes Real-Time Billionaires List, Ambani's net worth is approximately $80 billion, ranking him as Asia's second-richest person; Mittal's net worth is $14.2 billion, ranking 204th globally. Musk has effectively declared war on two of India's top billionaires at the same time.

India's Red Lines Go Beyond Business

However, it is also unfair to lay all the blame on the oligarchs. What the Indian government truly fears is the nature of Starlink's network. Several local conflicts in recent years have clearly revealed Starlink's true colors: it is a global communications network independent of any local telecom system, privately controlled by an American company. Starlink terminals continued to be used during Middle East conflicts, and that service clearly did not have the Iranian government's permission. This scene deepened New Delhi's concerns: once geopolitical tensions arise, when "other governments" make conflicting demands, what can SpaceX guarantee to meet India's security standards?

As early as June of this year, media citing informed sources reported that the Indian government had effectively suspended the process of approving Starlink's commercial operations. India's conditions are also very specific: Starlink must be able to cut off network access in specific areas when the government orders it, user data must be stored within Indian territory, and how geofencing will be implemented must be clearly explained. Each condition, viewed individually, is entirely reasonable; put together, they constitute an overt scheme: if you agree to install an "India-controlled switch," Starlink is no longer that global network beyond any government's control; if you refuse, you will never open for business.

Meanwhile, Indian netizens did not spare Musk's feelings either. The comment section under his post was flooded with a massive wave of criticism. One comment with 25,000 likes read: India is a sovereign nation, not Musk's personal business project. Starlink markets itself under the banner of helping the poor, but its service fees are quite expensive—it is not a charitable product. Some netizens sarcastically called Musk the "President of the United States," advising him to first reflect on why the U.S. does not allow Chinese new energy vehicles into the American market. Others used Grok, Musk's own xAI chatbot, to ask it to explain the risks Starlink poses to India, and Grok actually listed four: national security, data sovereignty, cost, and market impact. The most cutting jest was: a wise man once said, never attack Russia in winter, and never mess with India on Twitter.

An Indian netizen whose comment received 25,000 likes wrote that India is a sovereign nation, not Musk's personal business project. The comment also stated that Musk markets "Starlink" to India under the guise of helping the poor, but Starlink's service fees are quite expensive—it is not a charitable product provided free to the poor. Some Indian netizens, mimicking Musk's sarcastic tone toward Ambani, called Musk the "President of the United States" and argued that rather than interfering in India's affairs, he should first reflect on why the U.S. does not allow Chinese new energy vehicles into the American market.

The Cursing Is Fake; the Negotiation Is Real

Anyone who understands Musk knows that cursing is never his emotion—it is his negotiation tool. In 2018, he attacked California's policies and then turned around and got the Shanghai Gigafactory. In 2022, he went head-to-head with the U.S. SEC and still pushed the Twitter acquisition through to the end. This time, by slapping the big label of "oligarch obstruction" on the situation, he is essentially putting the Indian government on the fire of "protecting monopoly and opposing universal benefit," using public opinion to trade for approval progress.

But this time, he has likely hit a wall. The more publicly he pressures, the less the Indian government can afford to relent: if a foreign billionaire changes the rules with two posts, Modi cannot explain it to domestic voters, and how would he manage other companies in the future? The louder the cursing, the tighter the door may close. Moreover, there is an absurd detail: the very "oligarch" Musk curses on X is precisely the only channel he can rely on. Jio has millions of retail outlets in rural India, and it is simply unrealistic for Starlink to build channels from scratch. So a comical scene emerges: he curses Ambani for blocking him on one hand, while on the other, if his goods are to enter India, they must still be sold through Ambani's stores.

When this chess game ends does not depend on who has stronger technology or a louder voice, but on when Musk is willing to put the "technology switch" and profit distribution on the negotiating table. Until then, no matter how loudly he curses on X, the satellites will not land on the rooftops of rural India by themselves.