Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Friday rejected claims by US business tycoon Elon Musk that “certain oligarchs” have blocked the company’s satellite communication services in India to maintain their market monopoly, saying India does not allow a monopoly in any sector. Scindia said that there was no question of allowing any monopoly in the sphere and that three parties are in line for final approval for a commercial license.
“Let me be very clear. India does not allow a monopoly in any sector. And therefore, even as Satcom is concerned there is not a single licensee that has been chosen. Licenses have been given to everyone who wants to provide these licenses. And today there are three licenses that are out there. There is a lot of conversation about a particular party. But there are three parties that have got licenses. There is Reliance Jio, there is OneWeb, and there is Starlink. And there is another party that is also interested in procuring a license. Now that process has to be followed by that party, that’s Amazon,” the Minister said.
India nearing pricing framework
Scindia also said India is nearing a final decision on the pricing framework for satellite communication services, and all licensed operators, including Starlink, must meet security requirements before they can proceed to commercial operations.
India aims to double 5G user base
Meanwhile, Scindia said India aims to double its 5G user base from 550 million to one billion by 2030, adding that the country, which was behind the world in 4G, is resolved to lead the world in 6G.
What did Musk say?
In a post on X, SpaceX CEO said, “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. This is a crime against the people of India.” “Starlink in India would enable high-speed, affordable Internet connectivity for those who can’t afford current prices or who don’t have a connection at all,” he added.
Musk also debunked the claim of Starlink devices being used by militants in Manipur, saying, “Starlink beams are turned off over India, so the claim that they were used by anyone for any reason is absolutely false.”
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