Ahead of Starlink launch, Mukesh Ambani’s Jio, Mittal-led Airtel oppose Elon Musk’s strategy, ask govt to…

Amid the impending launch of Elon Musk-owned Starlink in India, Mukesh Ambani-owned Reliance Jio, Sunil Mittal-led Airtel, and Vodafone Idea (Vi), have voiced their displeasure over central government's decision to allocate spectrum on administrative basis to satellite communication (satcom) companies.

Ahead of the impending launch of Elon Musk-owned Starlink satellite internet service in India, three of the country’s top private telecom majors — Mukesh Ambani-owned Reliance Jio, Sunil Mittal-led Airtel, and Vodafone Idea (Vi), have voiced their displeasure over central government’s decision to allocate spectrum on administrative basis to satellite communication (satcom) companies.

In a statement, the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), which represented India’s three largest telecom providers, urged the government to create a level-playing field between satcom broadband providers and terrestrial network companies.

“COAI has been advocating that satcom should be used for enhancing the coverage in uncovered rural areas and that there should be a level playing field between terrestrial service providers and satellite communication service providers in all other areas. This important issue has not been addressed by DoT or by TRAI, and will adversely affect investors’ sentiments,”  said COAI chief S.P. Kochhar.

Elon Musk hails Indian govt’s announcement

Notably, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who is set to launch his Starlink satellite broadband service in India, has hailed the Indian government’s announcement that it was open to allotment of spectrum on an administrative basis to the satcom players. However, India’s telecom giants, including market leader Mukesh Ambani-led Jio, have vehemently opposed this view.

Administrative allocation of spectrum is a global standard as satcom companies argue that bidding for spectrum that will be shared and used by many players makes “zero sense”.

On the flip side, COAI, which represents India’s telecom providers, has flagged the need for “same service rules”, noting that while telcos are required to bid for the spectrum, satcom providers are essentially being provided the same service for free.

The development comes following telecom minister Jyotiraditya Scindia’s address at the 2025 Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain, wherein he stated that the Indian government was open to open to embrace the global satellite broadband players.

Starlink in India

Starlink’s impending entry into the Indian market has sparked a race among telecom providers to launch their own satellite broadband service like Jio Satcom, Airtel OneWeb, and Amazon also entering the battlefield with Kuiper. Mukesh Ambani-led Jio and Bharti Airtel have already completed their regulatory process for launching their respective satellite-based internet services but Elon Musk’s Starlink will likely become the first satellite broadband provider in India, according to reports.