Musk promises ‘affordable’ Starlink in India as he escalates feud with Ambani | Economic and commercial news
Elon Musk’s latest comments come days before the parent company of Mukesh Ambani’s low-cost Reliance Jio launches India’s largest-ever IPO.
Published on October 11, 2026
Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk said he would set an affordable price for his Starlink satellite internet service in India to take on Mukesh Ambani’s low-cost Reliance Jio, intensifying his attacks on the rival tycoon days before Jio’s parent company launched the country’s largest-ever initial public offering (IPO).
Jio Platforms, owner of the telecoms arm, is targeting a valuation of $106 billion in the offering. Just like SpaceX-owned Starlink, Jio’s satellite project is also awaiting final safety clearance for launch.
Cheap data is the model that helped build Jio in India, and the one that Musk has used in markets like Kenya to destabilize local telecom players. SpaceX now plans to enter the mobile carrier market itself, starting in the United States.
Musk did not specify prices for India, where mobile data costs about 7.74 rupees ($0.08) per gigabyte, among the lowest in the world.
“Obviously, if Starlink is too expensive in India, no one will buy it, so SpaceX will have to make the prices affordable,” he said in a post on his social media platform X on Saturday.
“The reality is that competition would greatly benefit the average Indian citizen by giving them more choices, as is always the case. Ambani’s profits will be lower, but he won’t go bankrupt,” Musk added.
“Prime Minister Ambani”
Musk’s remarks were the latest in a series of X-rated messages in which he accused the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Ambani of blocking Starlink’s entry into one of the world’s largest internet markets to favor market leader Jio.
These publications mark a watershed moment for Musk, who has long enjoyed warm public relations with Modi.
The Indian government has denied any bias in its approval process, “noting that the three satellite projects seeking launch, including Starlink and Jio, are all awaiting final safety clearance.”
On Friday night, Musk directly taunted Ambani, calling him “Prime Minister Ambani” and asking if he would “consider allowing Starlink to compete.”
Reliance did not respond to Musk’s remarks.
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