You can guess: Elon Musk's cryptic attack on 'oligarchs' blocking Starlink in India

The wait for Starlink's India launch has clearly frustrated Elon Musk, the billionaire founder of SpaceX. In a post on X, he accused unnamed Indian "oligarchs" of blocking the satellite internet service to protect their grip on the country's telecom market.He made the allegation while responding to a post arguing that India needs Starlink to expand high-speed internet access in parts of the country. (Photo: Reuters)SpaceX's Starlink is closer than ever to launching its satellite internet service in India, but a few regulatory hurdles are keeping the company from switching on its network. That has clearly frustrated Elon Musk, the billionaire founder of Starlink. In a post on X, he accused unnamed Indian "oligarchs" of blocking Starlink to protect their grip on the country's telecom market."Unfortunately, we are being blocked by certain oligarchs in order to maintain their monopolistic chokehold on the Indian people. You can guess who they are ...," he wrote on X."This is a crime against the people of India!" he added.He made the allegation while responding to a post arguing that India needs Starlink to expand high-speed internet access in parts of the country where conventional telecom infrastructure remains difficult to build. The remarks add a sharper edge to Starlink's prolonged wait for commercial approval in one of the world's largest telecom markets. INDIA'S CONNECTIVITY GAPThe argument for Starlink centres on a problem that India has been working to address for years: getting reliable internet access to communities that are difficult to reach through traditional mobile towers and fibre networks.According to data cited in the X post Musk responded to, 11,256 listed villages in India still lacked 4G coverage as of May 2026. India had 1.093 billion internet subscriptions in March 2026. But the distribution remained uneven. Rural India accounted for 440.87 million subscriptions, with rural subscription density at 48.31 connections per 100 people. In urban areas, the figure was considerably higher at 126.80 per 100 people.STARLINK SAYS IT IS READY SpaceX has already laid much of the groundwork for Starlink to begin operations in India, with the satellite communications company building dedicated infrastructure and tailoring its systems to meet the country's security requirements.Lauren Dreyer, vice president of Starlink Business Operations at SpaceX, said the company has developed India-specific security controls and built 20 gateway sites across the country, with hundreds of antennas supporting the network. Speaking at India Mobile Congress 2026, Dreyer said Starlink had spent the past five years working with Indian regulators, industry stakeholders and telecom operators to adapt its operations to the country’s requirements."We've built our Starlink operations specifically for India in recognition of Indian security requirements and other regulations, establishing controls at every layer for India, and keeping Indian user data within India," she said, as quoted by ANI.Dreyer said the company had already made the investments needed to support its eventual commercial operations in India."We've already made the investment and built the existing ground infrastructure here, 20 gateway sites comprising hundreds of antennas, and we've established the operations to be ready to serve India," she said.She also praised India's digital transformation, saying: "What India has achieved digitally is extraordinary."The Indian government has granted licences to three satellite communication companies, including Starlink, to offer services in the country. But despite having built much of its required infrastructure, Starlink is still awaiting the final regulatory clearances needed to begin commercial operations.- Ends