NEW DELHI: The government is set to discuss satellite internet services in the coming days, with a parliamentary panel selecting the subject for a detailed examination amid the ongoing row over Elon Musk’s allegations that powerful business interests are obstructing Starlink’s entry into India.BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology, said the panel would take up the issue at its upcoming meeting. “We will discuss the satellite net issue at our meeting in the coming days,” Dubey told PTI after a meeting of the panel.A threadbare examination, in parliamentary parlance, refers to a detailed and comprehensive scrutiny of an issue, including its regulatory, commercial and security implications.The panel’s decision comes amid a public exchange between Musk, the chief executive of SpaceX, which operates Starlink, and Indian political and business figures over the company’s pending approval to launch satellite internet services in the country.In a series of posts on X last week, Musk targeted Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani, with sarcastic jabs. Musk also alleged that some business groups were attempting to maintain a “monopolistic chokehold” over Indian consumers.The ministry of communications has rejected the allegations, describing suggestions that India’s regulatory framework or its implementation was unfair or discriminatory as “baseless” and “misconceived”. The government has maintained that satellite operators must meet the same regulatory requirements, including security conditions and spectrum allocation rules, before commencing commercial services.Dubey had earlier hit back at Musk over the Starlink controversy, asserting that India would not change its security policy under pressure or in response to social media posts.In a post on X on Sunday, Dubey alleged that Starlink’s entry raised challenges for India’s security agencies and said the parliamentary committee had examined the concerns faced by them.“The ministry of defence, the ministry of home affairs, and our investigation agencies are being affected by the dangerous games of these threats,” Dubey wrote.He also claimed that the government led by former prime minister Manmohan Singh had alerted the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to such threats in 2013-14.Urging Musk to focus on making internet services affordable in the United States before criticising India, Dubey had said, “India is a healthy democratic, sovereign nation; it does not change its security policy under pressure or social media.”
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He further argued that financial considerations alone would not determine the government’s decision on Starlink, writing: “If our policy were driven by money, we would have rolled out the red carpet welcome for you despite opposition from the security agencies.”Musk, meanwhile, has argued that Starlink’s entry would increase competition and expand consumer choice. Responding to arguments against the service, he wrote that competition would benefit ordinary Indians, adding that Ambani’s profits might decline but that his business would not cease to exist.