Elon Musk has escalated his criticism of Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani, sarcastically addressing the industrialist as “Prime Minister Ambani” and accusing him of seeking to protect his business interests by keeping Starlink out of India.

“Please accept my humble apologies for not realising that you are the real boss of India,” Musk, the chief executive of Tesla and SpaceX, wrote on his social media platform X on Friday.

“Naturally, you would prefer to maintain your monopolistic exploitation of the great people of India, but would you nonetheless consider allowing Starlink to compete?” he added.

Musk argued that Starlink’s satellite internet service could connect communities without reliable internet access, giving children greater access to education and helping small businesses reach global markets.

“Starlink would change their lives for the better,” he wrote.

The latest post follows a series of exchanges over Starlink’s delayed launch in India, one of the world’s largest telecommunications markets. On Wednesday, Musk alleged that unnamed “oligarchs” were blocking the service to protect their market dominance. A day later, he questioned whether Ambani was the “real boss of India”, claiming Starlink had spent five years complying with Indian laws and regulatory requirements.

According to NDTV’s report, Musk’s latest remarks also highlighted his argument that Starlink could help save lives during natural disasters when conventional communications systems fail.

Meanwhile, Reuters reported that India’s government rejected Musk’s allegations, saying its regulatory framework for satellite communications was fair and non-discriminatory. Telecoms Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said the country did not allow monopolies in any sector.

Musk has provided no evidence that Ambani is responsible for delaying Starlink’s launch.

Starlink, operated by SpaceX, is one of three satellite communications providers to have received telecoms licences in India. The other two are Eutelsat OneWeb, backed by Bharti, and Jio Satellite Communications, a subsidiary of Jio Platforms, which is part of Ambani’s Reliance Industries group.

However, the companies must meet security requirements before the government can allocate spectrum and allow commercial services to begin. Indian authorities have said security assessments are under way and that the licensed operators are at broadly similar stages of the approval process.

The dispute highlights potential competition between satellite internet providers and established telecommunications operators as companies seek access to India’s vast market.