“If Starlink is too expensive, no one will buy it,” Musk says, promising affordable India pricing as Jio targets a $106 billion IPO

Elon Musk says SpaceX will price Starlink affordably in India to compete with Reliance Jio, intensifying his dispute with its chairman, Mukesh Ambani, as Jio’s parent company prepares for what is expected to be India’s largest-ever initial public offering. Jio Platforms is targeting a $106 billion valuation; both Starlink and Jio’s satellite venture are still awaiting final security clearance to launch.

Musk wrote on X that Indian customers would not buy Starlink if it cost too much and argued that competition would give people more choice and benefit the average citizen. He also said Ambani’s profits might fall, but that Reliance would not go out of business. Musk has not disclosed Starlink’s planned Indian prices.

The comments follow Musk’s accusations that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government and Ambani are holding up Starlink’s entry to protect Jio, India’s market-leading telecom operator. India’s government has denied bias, saying all three satellite ventures seeking to launch are awaiting final security clearance. Musk, who has previously had a warm public rapport with Modi, also mocked Ambani on Friday by addressing him as “Prime Minister Ambani” and asking whether he would allow Starlink to compete. Reliance has not responded.

Low-cost data helped Jio build its Indian business, while Musk has used a similar approach in markets such as Kenya. SpaceX also plans to enter the mobile-carrier market, beginning in the United States.

The companies have also clashed over how India should assign satellite spectrum: Starlink backed administrative allocation, while Jio called for an auction. India opted for administrative allocation.