Elon Musk, the billionaire founder of SpaceX, has pledged to price its Starlink satellite internet service affordably in India to compete with Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Jio. The move comes just days before Jio Platforms, the parent company of the mobile carrier, launches the largest initial public offering ever seen in India.
Jio Platforms is targeting a valuation of $106 billion in the IPO. Like SpaceX's Starlink, Jio's satellite venture is still awaiting final security clearance before it can begin operations.
The cheap-data strategy was the formula that helped Jio build its dominance in India, and it is one Musk has used in markets such as Kenya to pressure local carriers. SpaceX also plans to enter the mobile carrier market itself, starting in the United States.
Musk has not given a specific price for India, where mobile data costs around 7.74 rupees (8 US cents) per gigabyte, among the lowest in the world. In a post on X on Saturday, he wrote: "Obviously, if Starlink is too expensive in India, no one will buy it, so SpaceX will have to offer an affordable price."
"The reality is that competition will greatly benefit the people of India with more choices, as it usually does. Ambani's profits will be lower, but he won't go bankrupt," Musk added.
Musk's remarks are the latest in a string of posts on X in which he accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government and Ambani of blocking Starlink from entering one of the world's largest internet markets in order to favour Jio, the market leader. The posts mark a sharp turn for Musk, who had long maintained cordial public relations with Modi.
The Indian government denies any favouritism in the approval process, noting that all three satellite ventures seeking operating licences, including Starlink and Jio, are awaiting final security clearance.
Late on Friday, Musk directly mocked Ambani, calling him "Prime Minister Ambani" and asking whether he would "consider allowing Starlink to compete."
Reliance has not yet responded to Musk's remarks.
