Musk reacts to Ambani lobbying, calls any India transfer to public sale satellite tv for pc spectrum ‘unprecedented’

NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Starlink boss Elon Musk mentioned a transfer by India to public sale satellite tv for pc broadband spectrum, and never allocate it, could be “unprecedented”, reacting to a Reuters story that rival billionaire Mukesh Ambani was lobbying for the public sale route.

In what’s seen as a battle between the 2 billionaires, Starlink argues administrative allotment of licences is consistent with a worldwide development, whereas Ambani’s Reliance says an public sale is required for a stage taking part in subject as international gamers might supply voice and knowledge providers and compete with conventional telecom gamers.

On Sunday, Reuters reported Ambani’s Reliance has argued India’s telecom regulator has incorrectly concluded that dwelling satellite tv for pc broadband spectrum needs to be allotted and never auctioned, with out looking for business suggestions, and the session course of should begin afresh.

Reacting to the information, Musk wrote on X that any such choice to public sale as Reliance is lobbying for “could be unprecedented.”

“This spectrum was lengthy designated by the ITU as shared spectrum for satellites,” he wrote late on Monday on X, referring to the Worldwide Telecommunication Union (ITU), a specialised UN company for digital know-how.

India is a member of the ITU and signatory to its treaty that regulates satellite tv for pc spectrum and advocates that allocation should be accomplished “rationally, effectively and economically” as it is a “restricted pure useful resource.”

Reliance didn’t reply to a request for touch upon Tuesday. It has beforehand instructed Reuters it’s “crucial” upon the Indian regulator to seek the advice of on the methodology of spectrum task.

The methodology of giving out spectrum for satellite tv for pc providers in India – a market set to develop 36% a yr to succeed in $1.9 billion by 2030 – has been a contentious situation since final yr.

Musk’s Starlink and international friends like Amazon’s Venture Kuiper again an administrative allocation, saying it’s a pure useful resource that needs to be shared by firms. Ambani, Asia’s wealthiest man, is arguing for an public sale course of.

Reliance’s newest lobbying transfer in India has intensified a face-off with Musk who desires to launch Starlink providers in India however has voted for the spectrum allocation route, during which the federal government merely assigns spectrum to the businesses.

An Indian authorities supply instructed Reuters on Sunday the regulator was following due strategy of session.

(Reporting by Munsif Vengattil, Aditya Kalra and Aditi Shah; Modifying by Shri Navaratnam)