"We’d Love To Be In India": Musk Presses For Starlink Approval To Fix Rural Connectivity Gaps

Elon Musk has renewed his pitch for bringing Starlink to India, positioning the satellite internet network as a lifeline for the country’s underserved rural regions. Speaking with Nikhil Kamath on the People of WTF podcast, Musk said, “We’d love to be operating in India,” emphasising that Starlink is not designed to compete with urban telecom giants. Musk explained the physics clearly: “We can't beat a cell tower that’s a kilometre away,” noting that Starlink’s strength lies in low-density areas where fibre and towers are economically unviable. With Starlink already active in 150 countries, India remains a major missing market—largely due to regulatory hurdles and delayed clearances. For India’s policymakers, Musk’s message is direct: Starlink isn’t a threat to telecom—it's a bridge to the last-mile digital divide.