The Centre said India’s satellite communication regulatory framework is fair and non-discriminatory, rejecting Elon Musk’s claim that “certain oligarchs” were blocking Starlink’s plans.The Ministry of Communications on Thursday said India’s regulatory framework for satellite communication services is fair and non-discriminatory. This comes a day after SpaceX CEO Elon Musk alleged that “certain oligarchs” were blocking Starlink’s plans in India.In a statement issued by the Press Information Bureau, the Ministry said that licences have been granted to three satellite communication companies and all are required to meet security conditions. Their security assessments are currently underway.“At present, all the three entities are at broadly the same regulatory stage,” the ministry said, calling claims of discrimination “baseless and misconceived,” a statement issued by the Press Information Bureau said. Earlier, Elon Musk had alleged on X that Starlink was being blocked to protect a “monopolistic chokehold” over Indian consumers. His comments came in response to a post arguing that Starlink could provide high-speed internet to underserved and remote communities.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!— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 7, 2026Starlink has a licence to offer satellite internet services in India, but it is still awaiting security clearances and spectrum band allocation before it can start commercial services, Bloomberg reported. India has given satellite communication licences to three companies: Starlink, Jio and OneWeb. None of them has yet switched on a full commercial service, Bloomberg said. Also Read | Riding Elon Musk’s Falcon 9 to space, how a Made-in-Gujarat satellite will help IndiaAt the India Mobile Congress on Wednesday, Starlink vice-president Lauren Dreyer said the company had built 20 gateway sites in India and developed India-specific security controls. She said Starlink was keeping Indian users’ data within the country and had invested in ground infrastructure to begin commercial services.Dreyer also said Starlink had been working with Indian regulators and industry stakeholders for five years. In June, she had denied reports that the approval process had been frozen, saying the company remained in talks with the government over its commercial launch.