Elon Musk vows affordable Starlink India pricing as Reliance Jio readies record IPO
Both Starlink and Jio’s satellite venture are awaiting final security clearance in India, setting up a potentially significant battle in the country’s low-cost connectivity market
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Published: Oct 12, 2026 9:08 AM | 2 min read
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- Elon Musk announced that SpaceX will offer affordable pricing for Starlink in India to compete in the country's low-cost telecom market.
- His comments come as Reliance Jio prepares for a significant IPO, targeting a valuation of approximately ₹10.3 lakh crore ($106 billion).
- Both Starlink and Jio's satellite venture are awaiting final security clearance to begin operations, with the Indian government stating that all operators face the same approval process.
- India’s mobile data rates are among the lowest globally, presenting a challenge for satellite broadband pricing, but Starlink's entry could enhance competition, especially in underserved areas.
Elon Musk has said SpaceX will price Starlink affordably in India as the satellite internet provider prepares to enter one of the world’s largest and lowest-cost telecom markets, days before Reliance Jio’s parent launches what is expected to be India’s biggest-ever IPO.
“If Starlink is too expensive in India, no one will buy it, so SpaceX will need to make pricing affordable,” Musk wrote on X over the weekend. He added that increased competition would give Indian consumers greater choice.
Read On: Jio Platforms secures SEBI nod for $3.8 billion IPO
The comments come as Jio Platforms targets a valuation of around ₹10.3 lakh crore ($106 billion) in its public offering. The IPO could raise roughly ₹30,200 crore ($3.1 billion) at the upper end of the proposed price band, overtaking Hyundai Motor India’s 2024 issue as the country’s largest listing.
Jio Platforms, backed by investors including Meta and Google, houses Reliance’s telecom and digital businesses spanning mobile connectivity, fixed broadband, cloud, entertainment and AI. Its telecom arm had 524.4 million customers as of March 2026.
Starlink and Jio’s satellite venture are both awaiting final security clearance before beginning commercial operations in India. The government has denied allegations from Musk that the approval process has favoured Reliance, noting that all three satellite operators seeking to launch remain subject to the same clearance process.
Read On: Govt rejects Musk’s ‘Oligarchs’ charge, says Starlink faces same rules as others
India presents an unusually difficult pricing challenge for satellite broadband because mobile data already costs roughly eight cents per gigabyte, among the cheapest rates globally.
The eventual entry of Starlink could add another layer of competition to India’s connectivity market, particularly in underserved and remote regions where satellite broadband may complement terrestrial mobile and fibre networks.
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