Reliance Industries said Friday it welcomes competition from Elon Musk’s Starlink in India’s satellite communications market, responding to his criticism of delays to the service’s launch.
The company pointed out that its own Jio satellite services still await clearances. It cited the Indian government’s position that domestic and foreign applicants face the same approval process.
“At Reliance, we have never feared competition,” the statement said. “We see it as the truest test of who serves the customer best.”
Reliance did not name Musk. It said it wanted to put facts on record following “recent remarks about Reliance and the Indian market.”
The company credited India’s openness to domestic and international investment and innovation for helping it grow. That openness, it said, rests on the rule of law.
Reliance cited Jio’s entry into India’s crowded telecom market in 2016 without any customers. Jio now serves more than 530 million customers, according to the statement.
“Every player, Jio included, must serve the people of India and abide by the laws and policies of the land.”
As Virginia Times reported Oct. 9, Musk sarcastically addressed Reliance Chairman Mukesh Ambani as “Prime Minister Ambani” and asked whether he would allow Starlink to compete. Musk provided no evidence in that post that Ambani controlled the approval process or had prevented Starlink’s launch.
India’s Ministry of Communications rejected allegations of unequal treatment in an Oct. 8 statement. It said three satellite operators had received telecom licenses and were undergoing security assessments to protect users and their data. All three were at broadly the same regulatory stage at that time, the ministry said.
Starlink already holds an Indian telecom license, as Virginia Times previously reported, citing Reuters. Starting commercial service requires completion of security requirements and spectrum assignment.
Under the process outlined by the ministry, each operator can seek spectrum assignment after completing its security assessment. Reliance’s Friday statement gave no timetable for Jio’s remaining clearances.
