New Delhi: Ahead of its Rs 30,213-crore Jio IPO, Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries has rebutted Elon Musk’s tirade on X and said it welcomed competition.Last Wednesday, Musk had accused “certain oligarchs” of “blocking” Starlink’s entry into India before naming Ambani over the next two days in a series of posts.In an early morning statement on Friday, Reliance Industries said: “We welcome competition in satellite communications, including Starlink. Every player, Jio included, must serve the people of India and abide by the laws and policies of the land.”“At Reliance, we have never feared competition. We see it as the truest test of who serves the customer best. Jio itself entered India’s crowded telecom market in 2016 as the newest player, with not a single customer. In just 10 years, Jio has earned the trust of over 53 crore customers and given Indians some of the best digital infrastructure and most affordable data in the world,” the statement said.It added: “Like every Indian enterprise, Reliance has grown in an India that welcomes investment and innovation, homegrown or international, that improve the lives of the people. That openness rests on the rule of law. As govt of India has stated, it applies the same process to every applicant, Indian or foreign. Jio’s own satellite services await clearances.”Govt had also denied Musk’s charges. Last Thursday, Union communications minister Jyotiraditya Scindia had said at India Mobile Congress: “There is a lot of conversation about a particular party (Starlink). But there are three parties that have got licences… As and when govt decides the charge system on revenue basis, spectrum will be assigned to them and as and when they individually fulfil security conditions, then they can start operations.”Sunil Bharti-backed Eutelsat OneWeb, Ambani’s Reliance Jio and Musk’s Starlink have got licences and are preparing to start satcom service here so that even remote areas where laying ground infra for broadband is not possible can get the same. Jeff Bezos’s Amazon’s Project Kuiper is eying a licence to do so.
