Reliance Industries (RIL) on Friday said it welcomed competition in India's satellite communications sector, including from Elon Musk's Starlink, but stressed that all players must abide by the law and existing national regulations.
RIL's response comes amid Musk's scathing criticism of Mukesh Ambani over the delay in the launch of Starlink satellite broadband services in India. The SpaceX CEO, has repeatedly taken potshots at Ambani, whose company Jio is a major player in India's telecom market and in the fray for satcom services.
"In light of recent remarks about Reliance and the Indian market, we wish to place the facts on record. Like every Indian enterprise, Reliance has grown in an India that welcomes investment and innovation, homegrown or international, that improve the lives of the people. That openness rests on the rule of law. As the Government of India has stated, it applies the same process to every applicant, Indian or foreign. Jio's own satellite services await clearances," RIL's statement published on X said.
"At Reliance, we have never feared competition. We see it as the truest test of who serves the customer best. Jio itself entered India's crowded telecom market in 2016 as the newest player, with not a single customer. In just ten years, Jio has earned the trust of over 530 million customers and given Indians some of the best digital infrastructure and most affordable data in the world. We welcome competition in satellite communications, including Starlink. Every player, Jio included, must serve the people of India and abide by the laws and policies of the land," the statement added.
Over the past week Musk alleged monopolistic practices in India's telecom sector and further accused vested interests of blocking Starlink's entry into the Indian market.
In a post on X, Musk had said, "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."
He said greater competition could reduce the profits of existing players but would not necessarily 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.
Earlier, Musk had put up a post on X sarcastically addressing industrialist Ambani as "Prime Minister Ambani" and had accused him of seeking to protect a monopoly. Musk, in that post, had asked if Ambani would consider allowing his satellite internet service to compete in the country.
"Dear Prime Minister Ambani, Please accept my humble apologies for not realising 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?" he wrote.
Notably, the Union government has maintained that the country's authorisation framework for telecom and satellite services is "fair and non-discriminatory" and that any suggestion that it was being applied selectively was "baseless and misconceived".
Meanwhile, Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said there was no question of allowing a monopoly in satellite communications and that three parties were awaiting final approval for commercial licences.
Scindia said India was close to a final decision on the pricing framework for satellite communication services. He added that all licensed operators, including Starlink, must meet security requirements before beginning commercial operations.
(With inputs from PTI and ANI)
