India's Ministry of Communications has rejected claims made by SpaceX founder Elon Musk that “certain oligarchs” are blocking the launch of Starlink satellite services in the country.

Musk took to the social media platform he acquired back in 2022 to vent his frustration with the regulatory process in India.

"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…," said Musk on X yesterday (October 7). "This is a crime against the people of India!"

Musk made the comments in response to a user on X who said "India needs Starlink," while highlighting the lack of coverage across thousands of villages in the country.

Although Musk didn't name who those people are, it could be interpreted as a dig at India's telecoms sector, which is dominated by Reliance Jio, owned by billionaire Mukesh Ambani, and Bharti Airtel, owned by Sunil Mittal. Musk has previously clashed with Ambani over India’s satellite spectrum allocation.

India's Ministry of Communications has hit back, stating that India's regulatory process is fair and non-discriminatory in a statement today.

"The suggestion that the framework or its application is unfair or discriminatory is baseless and misconceived,” said the Ministry, without naming Musk.

Jio, Airtel, and Starlink are all awaiting spectrum assignment and final clearances to operate satellite services in India. The approval process for Starlink has stretched for more than four years, amid security requirements and spectrum access.

In 2025, SpaceX announced deals with Jio and Airtel to bring Starlink to India, though the future of such deals remains unclear. Earlier this year, Jio said it was evaluating the development of Indian low-orbit satellite communications.