Elon Musk has pledged to price Starlink's satellite internet affordably in India to compete with Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Jio, sharpening his public battle with the Indian billionaire just days before Jio's parent launches what is expected to be India's largest-ever initial public offering.

In a series of posts on his social media platform X on Saturday, Musk said SpaceX would have no choice but to undercut on price in the world's biggest internet market by users. "Obviously, if Starlink is too expensive in India, no one will buy it, so SpaceX will need to make pricing affordable," he wrote, Al Jazeera reported.

"The reality is that competition would greatly benefit the average citizen in India by giving them more choices, as it always does. Ambani's profits will be lower, but he is not going out of business," Musk added.

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A $106 billion IPO on the horizon

The timing is no accident. Jio Platforms, which owns the telecom arm of Reliance Jio, is targeting a valuation of about $106 billion in its upcoming offering — a figure that would make it the largest IPO in India's history. The listing will put the full weight of public-market scrutiny on Jio's growth story at precisely the moment Starlink is pressing its case to enter.

Notably, Jio's own satellite internet venture is also still waiting for final security clearance to launch — the same regulatory gate Starlink says has been unfairly keeping it out.

The world's cheapest data market

Musk's affordability pledge acknowledges an unavoidable reality: India has among the cheapest mobile data in the world, at roughly $0.08 (about 7.74 rupees) per gigabyte. That rock-bottom pricing is the playbook that built Jio into India's market leader after its 2016 launch, when it flooded the market with free and near-free data and demolished rivals' subscriber bases.

Starlink's hardware-heavy model — dishes, terminals and satellite capacity — is structurally more expensive than Jio's terrestrial network. Musk did not specify what "affordable" would mean in practice, but the promise signals that SpaceX intends to subsidise its entry rather than serve only a premium niche of rural and enterprise users.

A feud that keeps escalating

Saturday's posts are the latest salvo in a war of words that has turned increasingly personal. Musk has accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government and Ambani of deliberately stalling Starlink's entry to shield Jio from competition — including sarcastically addressing Ambani as "Prime Minister Ambani" in an open letter this week, as Chronicle reported.

New Delhi has rejected the allegations as baseless, noting that all three satellite ventures seeking approval — Starlink, Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio's own satellite arm — are at the same stage of the security-clearance process. The denial has done little to cool Musk's rhetoric, marking a sharp turn for a billionaire who has long maintained a warm public rapport with Modi.

The Kenya playbook — and a new carrier ambition

Musk's India pricing vow follows a familiar script. In Kenya, Starlink used aggressive low pricing to unsettle entrenched local telecom operators, forcing incumbents to slash prices and improve coverage. Analysts say a similar strategy in India could put pressure on an industry already operating on razor-thin margins.

Meanwhile, SpaceX is expanding its ambitions beyond satellites-as-a-service: the company now plans to enter the mobile carrier market itself, starting in the United States — a move that would put it in direct competition with the very telecom giants it currently partners with.

For Indian consumers, the billionaires' spat may be good news. As India's telecom market has repeatedly shown, a price war between giants tends to leave subscribers — not shareholders — as the winners.

Frequently Asked Questions

What did Elon Musk promise about Starlink in India?

Musk said on X that SpaceX would price Starlink's satellite internet "affordably" in India so it can compete with Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Jio, arguing that competition benefits ordinary citizens. He did not specify exact prices.

Why is the timing significant?

His comments came days before Jio Platforms is expected to launch India's largest-ever IPO at a roughly $106 billion valuation, putting maximum spotlight on the rivalry between the two billionaires.

Why hasn't Starlink launched in India yet?

Starlink is still awaiting final security clearance from the Indian government. Musk has accused regulators of stalling to favour Jio; New Delhi says Starlink, Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio's satellite venture are all at the same stage.

Has Musk used low pricing to enter markets before?

Yes — in Kenya, Starlink entered with aggressive pricing that undercut local telecom operators, forcing incumbents to lower prices and improve services. Analysts expect a similar strategy in India.