- Ministry rejects Elon Musk's claims about Starlink being blocked.
- India asserts fair, non-discriminatory regulatory framework for satellite services.
- Security assessment underway for all licensed satellite communication companies.
Ministry of Communication on Thursday rejected a viral post questioning the fairness of India's regulatory framework for satellite communication services, after SpaceX CEO Elon Musk made a veiled attack, alleging 'certain oligarchs' have blocked his company's SATCOM services, Starlink, in the country.
In a statement, the ministry said, "A post is being circulated in social media regarding the fairness of India’s regulatory framework for satellite communication services and suggesting that it is being applied in a discriminatory manner. The Government has put in place a fair and non-discriminatory authorisation framework for all telecommunication services, including satellite communication services."
The ministry added that the government is currently conducting a security assessment of three licence companies and will proceed with the allotment of inspections once it is completed.
"Under the terms and conditions of license, every such licensee is required to demonstrate compliance with security conditions. This is aimed at ensuring that services provided meet various security requirements to ensure safety of all users and their data. Security assessment as part of this process is currently under way in respect of all the three licensees. As and when this process is completed for a licensed entity, it may proceed to the next step of seeking assignment of spectrum," it added.
Rejecting the allegations of discriminatory authorisation framework, the government said all three entities are broadly at same regulatory stage.
"As such, the suggestion that the framework or its application is unfair or discriminatory is baseless and misconceived," the statement read.
What did Elon Musk say?
On Wednesday, a verified X account, named DodgeDesigner, said, "11,256 of India's listed villages still lacked 4G coverage as of May 2026."
Mentioning "Indian needs Starlink", it shared information about the lack of telecom connectivity in the country's rural areas. "BharatNet had laid over 8,50,000 route-km of fibre and made about 2,21,000 Gram Panchayats service-ready. However, its Points of Presence were reported operational at only 80,472 Gram Panchayats in June 2026," DodgeDesigner said.
Reacting to the post, Musk wrote, "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!"