Unless either of us has direct access to Elon’s brain, we can’t know for sure. He thinks very long term. I said it was my “opinion”, indicating I was not sure about his thinking.
My recollection is similar to that of @Cosmacelf ... discussion at the time included some of Elon's comments that government/NASA contracts didn't provide the level of funding needed, at least for the rapid development schedule he was targeting. Finding a customer to pay for its services would help... ultimately, they ended up deciding to the best way to do that was to be their own customer for a revenue generating service...
On a quick search I found a reference from Spacenews:
Musk also briefly discussed Starlink, SpaceX’s planned broadband satellite constellation that will provide connectivity to underserved areas and a low-cost alternative in more urbanized areas. Starlink, he added, will also provide revenue needed for SpaceX’s Mars ambitions.