Reliance Industries has said it has “never feared competition” and welcomes rivals in satellite communications, including Starlink, provided every player follows the laws and policies of India.
In a statement posted on X on Friday, the company said that, in light of recent remarks about Reliance and the Indian market, it wished to “place the facts on record”.
Reliance statement came days after Musk took swipe at India's billionaire Mukesh Ambani over the delay in launching Starlink's satellite internet services in India, questioning whether the Reliance Industries chairman has excessive influence over the country's telecom sector.
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Musk also questioned why Starlink was yet to receive the final approvals to begin commercial operations in India.
It said that “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”.
Reliance said this 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,” the statement said.
The company then addressed the question of satellite competition directly.
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“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,” it said.
Reliance described competition as “the truest test of who serves the customer best”. The company pointed to the history of its telecom arm, saying Jio entered India's crowded 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,” the statement said.
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The remarks came days before Jio Platforms, which owns Reliance's telecom arm, launches India's largest-ever IPO, targeting a valuation of $106 billion. Musk did not specify Starlink prices for India, where mobile data costs about Rs 7.74 per GB, among the lowest in the world.
The Ministry of Communications has rejected the claim that Starlink is being singled out, saying both satellite ventures, Starlink's and Jio's, are at broadly the same regulatory stage.
The government has denied any bias, noting that they are awaiting final security clearance.
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