Ahead of Musk in approval queue; will be happy to get nod at least few days before him: Sunil Mittal

Bharti Enterprises Founder and Chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal on Wednesday said his venture Eutelsat OneWeb is significantly ahead of Elon Musks Starlink in the satellite communication approvals queue in India as his company had applied for the licence five years ago according to news agenciesMittal said that his company had been waiting for clearances despite having its ground network ready for three yearsAs I have already said we are awaiting our approvals I believe we are significantly ahead of him in the queue because we applied five years ago he said at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum 2026He was responding to a question on Musks recent remarks targeting Indias telecom billionaires amid the debate over satellite internet services in the countryMittal said he would be happy to receive the necessary clearances even a few days before the US tech billionaires ventureOur ground networks have been ready for the past three years and our satellites have been hovering over India for the past five years We still do not have the necessary permission so we would be very happy to receive it even a few days before him he addedMittal said once the approvals are granted the company would be able to provide connectivity across the country including in areas where traditional networks have limited reachHe pointed out Bhartis experience in Africa where satellite services have already been launched in partnership with a global providerMusk alleged monopolistic chokeholdMittals comments come amid Musk alleging Starlink was being blocked by certain oligarchs keen to keep a monopolistic chokehold on IndiansThe Ministry of Communications had said that any suggestion that the framework or its application was unfair or discriminatory baseless and misconceivedScindia said India does not allow monopoly in any sectorLast week reacting to Musks allegations Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia had said India doesnt allow monopoly in any sector including satellite communicationLet me set the record straight For us the Department of Telecommunications we are technology agnostic Our job is to be able to provide the bouquet of services to every single customer It is for the customer to choose in a free market which service he or she prefers and within that service bouquet which companys service he or she prefers he had saidScindia said that three entities that include Musks Starlink Reliance Jios satellite venture Jio Satcom and Bhartibacked Eutelsat OneWeb have already secured licences Amazons Project Kuiper has expressed interest and will need to undergo the established procedure he had addedWe are very clear on our stand There are three parties that have got a licence as and when the government decides the charge system on the revenue basis that spectrum will be assigned to them and as and when they individually fulfil the security conditions they can start operations Scindia had saidHe had also informed that the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India TRAI and the telecom department are close to a final decision on pricing regime for satcom spectrumWith inputs from agencies