Musk Promises Affordable Starlink in India to Challenge Jio and Ambani

Elon Musk pledged to price Starlink's satellite internet service affordably in India to directly challenge Reliance Jio, intensifying a public dispute with billionaire Mukesh Ambani just days before the telecom giant's historic $106bn initial public offering.

Musk outlined his approach on his social media platform X on Saturday, warning that high costs would kill demand. “Obviously, if Starlink is too expensive in India, no one will buy it, so SpaceX will need to make pricing affordable,” he wrote. He added that market rivalry would ultimately serve consumers better than monopolies. “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 said.

The comments mark a sharp escalation in Musk's campaign against the Indian government and Ambani, whom he accused of delaying Starlink's launch to protect Jio's market dominance. Musk recently taunted Ambani online, dubbing him the country's de facto leader and questioning whether he would permit Starlink to enter the market. Despite the public sparring, Reliance Industries has not responded to the remarks.

New Delhi has rejected claims of favoritism. Officials noted that the approval process applies equally to all applicants, with three satellite ventures, including Starlink and Jio's space division, currently waiting for final security clearances. The regulatory hold comes at a critical moment for Jio Platforms, which is preparing to list its shares in India's largest-ever initial public offering (IPO).

Low data prices have historically been the foundation of Jio's rapid growth in India, where mobile internet costs about rupees 7.74 ($0.08) per gigabyte. Musk has relied on similar aggressive pricing strategies to disrupt telecom sectors in other regions, and his company is now preparing to launch its own mobile carrier service in the United States.