'OneWeb is waiting too': Bharti Airtel chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal responds to Musk’s allegations of bias in satellite service approvals
Bharti Airtel chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal has dismissed Elon Musk's claims that Starlink is being blocked by Indian oligarchs. Mittal stated that his own venture, Eutelsat OneWeb, is also currently awaiting necessary spectrum and security clearances from the Indian government.
Why it matters
This highlights the regulatory hurdles and competitive tensions in the emerging Indian satellite internet market involving global tech giants and local conglomerates.
Dismissing Elon Musk's allegations that his satcom company Starlink is being blocked in India, Bharti Airtel chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal said that even his satcom venture, Eutelsat OneWeb, is awaiting approvals to start operations.On Wednesday, Musk alleged that certain oligarchs have blocked Starlink in India to maintain their monopoly.Musk did not explicitly name any company but said, You can guess who they are .ALSO READ | Oligarchs! India responds after Musk's allegations of bias in satellite service approvalsIndia's telecom market has three private players: Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea.Musk-led Starlink, Jio Satcom and Eutelsat OneWeb are the three satellite communications companies in the fray to start satellite services in the country.The government has granted licences to the three satellite communications companies for starting operations in the country.However, all the companies need spectrum and security clearance before starting the service.When asked about his view on Musk's allegations, Mittal at…
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