Mukesh Ambani opposes Elon Musk's Starlink project in India.

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Elon Musk is keen to extend his Starlink satellite internet to India, but the world's richest man is up against Mukesh Ambani, Asia's richest man and the owner of Indian telecom giant Reliance Jio.


Mukesh Ambani opposes Elon Musk's Starlink project in India.
Mukesh Ambani (left) and Elon Musk (right)



Musk stated that following a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the United States on Tuesday, he was eager to launch Starlink in India, which "can be incredibly helpful" in distant communities that lack internet or high-speed services.

What he didn't say is that Starlink is at conflict with Ambani's Reliance over the government's allotment of satellite broadband spectrum, setting up a struggle between two of the world's richest men for satellite services in the world's most populated country.


Starlink is pressing India to not auction the spectrum but instead issue licences in accordance with a worldwide trend, claiming that it is a natural resource that firms should share. According to firm letters made public by the Indian government this month, an auction might impose geographical constraints that enhance expenses.

Reliance, on the other hand, disagrees and has advocated for an auction in a public submission to the government, claiming that foreign satellite service providers might offer voice and data services and compete with existing telecom firms, and so an auction is required to establish a fair playing field.

In a hint of escalating rivalry, an industry source with direct information stated that Reliance will continue to press the Indian government to auction satellite spectrum rather than comply to international businesses' demands.

Musk is playing with fire. His drive comes after a failed 2021 attempt to launch Starlink in India due to accepting bookings without a licence, and just as he is in discussions with India to establish a Tesla plant.

Keeping foreign competitors at away in satellite broadband will be a boost for Ambani, whose Reliance Jio already has 439 million cellular customers, making it the market leader, and 8 million wired broadband connections, or a 25% market share.

Amazon's satellite internet venture, Project Kuiper, and the British government-backed OneWeb share Starlink's perspective on auctions.

Amazon did not respond to a request for comment. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, OneWeb, and SpaceX, the parent company of Starlink, did not comment.


Licencing vs. auction

 According to India's Koan Advisory, 48 of the 64 replies from enterprises, industry groups, and others to India's public consultation on satellite spectrum preferred licencing, 12 voted for an auction, and the remainder were neutral.

According to a second industry source, Reliance worries that opening the floodgates to established overseas competitors like Starlink without an auction will allow them "runaway success" like Amazon, hurting Indian enterprises and creating an unbalanced playing field.

Ambani's Reliance Retail has competed with Amazon, although it behind the US competitor in e-commerce market share. According to Deloitte, India's satellite broadband service industry would rise 36% per year to $1.9 billion by 2030.


Starlink claims to be licenced in 84 administrations worldwide and to have 1.5 million active consumers of their low-latency broadband services. Amazon intends to build its first satellite constellation in 2024. According to one of the sources, an Indian counsel to a foreign company, global satellite internet corporations are afraid that an auction by India will increase the chances of other nations following suit, boosting prices and investments.

According to an industry insider, if India decides to arrange an auction, OneWeb would find it difficult to do business in the nation. Another source added that Starlink is waiting for clarification on India's spectrum allotment before finalising its commercial plan.


According to Tim Farrar, an analyst at the US-based consultancy TMF Associates, it would establish a "bad precedent" for Starlink to pay a large auction fee in India while receiving low-cost licences in many other countries.


what is starlink ? Short Introduction for those who don't no about starlink...

Starlink is a satellite internet constellation project developed by SpaceX, the aerospace company founded by Elon Musk. It aims to provide global broadband internet coverage by deploying a large number of small satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO). 

Traditionally, internet connectivity on Earth is provided through ground-based infrastructure like fiber-optic cables and cell towers. However, these systems have limitations in terms of coverage, especially in remote and rural areas. Starlink's objective is to bridge this connectivity gap by creating a network of satellites that orbit closer to Earth, resulting in lower latency and wider coverage.

The Starlink constellation consists of thousands of small satellites, each weighing approximately 260 kilograms (573 pounds). These satellites are launched into space using SpaceX's reusable Falcon 9 rockets. Once deployed, the satellites are positioned in various orbital shells, forming a mesh network that communicates with each other and with ground stations on Earth.

Users on the ground can access the internet via a small dish terminal, known as a phased-array antenna or "Starlink dish." This dish communicates with the satellites in orbit, providing a high-speed internet connection. The phased-array antenna is designed to track and connect with multiple satellites simultaneously, allowing for seamless handoff as the user moves within the coverage area.

The advantages of Starlink include its potential to provide high-speed internet access to remote and underserved areas, where traditional infrastructure is limited or absent. It has the capability to offer competitive internet speeds and low latency compared to other satellite internet services. However, it is important to note that as of my knowledge cutoff in September 2021, Starlink is still in its initial deployment phase, and its coverage and service quality may vary in different regions.






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