Reliance Industries appeared to hit back at Elon Musk’s suggestions its owner Mukesh Ambani (pictured) was blocking Starlink’s entry into India, stating it welcomes competition and pointing out its own satellite venture has also not been cleared by regulators.

In a statement on Musk-owned X, Reliance said considering recent remarks about the company and the Indian market, it wished to put on record that like every Indian enterprise it had grown in a country that welcomes investment and innovation.

It continued to state the open nature of the Indian market rests on the rule of law, and the government has stated it applies the same process to every applicant, Indian or foreign.

“Jio’s own satellite service awaits clearances,” it said. “At Reliance we never feared competition… 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.”

Reliance’s statement followed a series of Musk’s own posts regarding Starlink’s entrance into India. The SpaceX chief claimed “certain oligarchs” were delaying its entry into the country to maintain a “monopolistic chokehold on the Indian people”.

While emphasising the benefits satellite connectivity will have on the Indian market, Musk sarcastically addressed Ambani as India’s real Prime Minister and asked if he would “consider allowing Starlink to compete”.

Musk also described suggestions Starlink would struggle to compete with Jio and its low-cost data plans as “absurd, hypocrisy and hyperbole”.

India’s government has also rejected Musk’s claims, stating its satellite communications framework is fair and non-discriminatory while emphasising that Starlink, Jio and Sunil Bharti Mittal-backed Eutelsat OneWeb are all awaiting security clearance and spectrum allocation.

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Apple, Nvidia and EchoStar chair Charlie Ergen reportedly committed $25 million each for the construction of US President Donald Trump’s White House ballroom project, which has raised $333 million to date in private donations.

The Washington Post reported “the vast majority of the funds raised came from companies and wealthy individuals with interests before the federal government” after obtaining an internal spreadsheet used to track contributions for the fundraising effort.

The Post noted more than three-quarters of the funding was pledged in amounts of at least $5 million, with Amazon, Comcast, Microsoft, and T-Mobile US among the largest corporate donors.

It stated Nvidia and Ergen, among others, requested their donations be kept anonymous

The news site noted companies or executives of firms that have had contracts with the federal government during Trump’s second term accounted for about half of the total funds raised for the project which also includes office space and an underground military facility.

According to internal contractor documents obtained by the Post, the total cost of the project is now $600 million after Trump initially stated he and wealthy donors would pay the estimated $400 million project, although Reuters reported he later unsuccessfully asked Congress for $1 billion. The Post noted Trump’s name did not appear on the list of 67 donors who contributed $10,000 or more to the project.

The funds for the project are administered through a complex, multi-step pipeline involving a private nonprofit, federal agencies and direct oversight by the Trump administration.

The news agency reported Nvidia became “a top contributor to the ballroom in October 2025, nearly three months after it struck a groundbreaking pact with Trump to sell advanced microchips to China despite national security concerns”.

“As an American company, our support for the United States is paramount, and independent of any business interests,” a representative for Nvidia told Mobile World Live. “We were proud to be able to make a donation to a nonpartisan trust that serves all Americans and have said so publicly since the donation was made.” 

Apple and EchoStar did not reply to requests for comment on their contributions.

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