Austin: SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has intensified his push for Starlink to enter India's satellite internet market, arguing that competition would benefit consumers while accusing supporters of Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani of defending the existing market with contradictory arguments.

In a fresh post on X on Saturday, Musk described arguments against Starlink's entry as "absurd hypocrisy and hyperbole", alleging that an "army of Internet shills" was promoting conflicting claims about the satellite internet provider's ability to compete with established players.

"The ridiculous arguments by Ambani’s army of Internet shills make no sense. On the one hand, they say Starlink couldn’t possibly compete with the amazing low prices offered by Ambani’s de facto monopoly in India and then, in the same breath, they essentially claim that Starlink would be too strong of a competitor! This is absurd hypocrisy and hyperbole," Musk wrote.

Arguing that greater competition would expand consumer choice, Musk acknowledged that the entry of Starlink could affect the profits of existing operators but said it would not threaten their businesses.

"The reality is that competition would greatly benefit the average citizen in India by giving them more choices, as it always does. Ambani’s profits will be lower, but he is not going out of business," he wrote.

Musk also acknowledged that Starlink would need to offer competitive prices to attract Indian customers.

“Obviously, if Starlink is too expensive in India, no one will buy it, so SpaceX will need to make pricing affordable,” he added.

The latest remarks came in response to a post by Aaron Burnett, CEO of Mach33 Financial Group, who challenged the perception that India already has exceptionally cheap and widely accessible internet services.

Burnett argued that the country's reputation for inexpensive connectivity largely reflects mobile internet consumption, while fixed broadband penetration remains relatively low.

According to Burnett, mobile users in India consume around 30-40 GB of data a month, approximately 20-50 per cent more than users in the United States and the United Kingdom. Home fibre connections, however, account for closer to 300 GB a month, he said, highlighting a substantial gap between mobile and fixed broadband consumption.

“I’d argue that it’s not very hard to believe that these paltry sub 5% fixed customer penetration numbers would be much higher if a cost effective alternative existed,” Burnett said, suggesting that fixed broadband penetration could rise from around 6 per cent to 10, 15 or even 20 per cent, potentially reaching 100-200 million customers.

Musk's earlier swipe at Ambani

Musk's latest post follows an earlier sarcastic message in which he appeared to address Ambani as India's real decision-maker while seeking permission for Starlink to compete in the country.

"Dear Prime Minister Ambani, Please accept my humble apologies for not realizing that you are the real boss of India. Naturally, you would prefer to maintain your monopolistic exploitation of the great people of India, but would you nonetheless consider allowing Starlink to compete? There are many areas of India, as there are in all countries, with no Internet access, which denies children the opportunity for education and for small businesses the opportunity to sell their goods to a global market. Starlink would change their lives for the better. Thank you," his post read.

Musk also highlighted Starlink's role in maintaining connectivity during emergencies and natural disasters.

“Also, Starlink has proven to be essential for saving lives during natural disasters throughout the world, when all other communications systems have failed, so you would also be helping save men, women and children throughout India,” he added.

The posts have intensified the debate over Starlink's proposed entry into India's satellite communications market, particularly the regulatory process governing commercial operations and the role of established telecom operators.

What the Centre says about Starlink's India launch

Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Friday that India would not permit a monopoly in satellite communications, adding that three operators were awaiting the completion of the process required to begin commercial services.

“Let me be very clear. India does not allow a monopoly in any sector. And therefore, even as Satcom is concerned there is not a single licensee that has been chosen. Licenses have been given to everyone who wants to provide these licenses. And today there are three licenses that are out there,” Scindia said.

He identified Reliance Jio, OneWeb and Starlink as the three companies that had received licences, while noting that Amazon was also interested in entering the market.

“There is a lot of conversation about a particular party. But there are three parties that have got licenses. There is Reliance Jio, there is OneWeb, and there is Starlink. And there is another party that is also interested in procuring a license. Now that process has to be followed by that party, that’s Amazon,” the minister said.

Scindia added that the government was nearing a decision on the pricing framework for satellite communication services. Operators would also have to meet the prescribed security requirements before launching commercial operations.

“Initially whether spectrum will be assigned or auctioned, that decision was taken. Secondly, irrespective post that administrative assignment, what the pricing regime will be. And TRAI and DOT have been in conversations on that. We are close to taking the final decision with respect to that. And the third has to do with security requirements and requisites being followed,” he said.

Explaining when operators could begin services, Scindia said the process would depend on each company's compliance with the security requirements and other prescribed conditions.

“Revenue charges system is finalised once each one of these parties, party A, B, and C, all three individually based on their achievement of milestones with regard to security concerns and prerequisites, have fulfilled the requirements; then obviously they can start operations. But that has to be a compliance that is done by each one of them individually,” he added.

Starlink regulatory process under scrutiny

Musk had previously alleged that powerful business interests were preventing Starlink from entering India despite the company spending five years complying with Indian requirements.

The Ministry of Communications rejected the allegations, maintaining that all three licensed operators were at broadly the same stage of the regulatory process.

According to the ministry, security assessments were under way for all three operators. Each company could proceed to seek spectrum assignment after fulfilling the required conditions.

The outstanding steps include finalising the applicable pricing framework and completing the necessary security clearances. Until the relevant requirements are met, the licences alone do not mean that the companies can begin commercial satellite internet services.

Musk's latest comments put the spotlight on a wider question facing India's satellite broadband market: whether services such as Starlink can expand connectivity in underserved areas while competing with existing operators on affordability.

Although Musk has argued that competition would benefit consumers, the eventual reach of satellite internet in India will depend on pricing, regulatory approvals, infrastructure and demand.