Last night, I was on News9 to discuss the Starlink debate youtube.com/live/MInTnoLQYHo…

The debate over Starlink vs Jio and Airtel is missing a key question: who gets to switch Starlink on and off in India? Starlink is not really competing with cheap fibre and 5G for most Indian consumers. Its real value is in places where towers and cables cannot reach: remote borders, mountains, ships and disaster zones. These are also places where reliable communications can become a matter of national security. Consider two recent examples. In February, Ukraine worked with SpaceX to block Starlink terminals used by Russian forces while keeping Ukrainian terminals connected. SpaceX could identify and disable individual terminals, and did so successfully. Iran has been trying to stop unauthorised Starlink operations within its territory since 2023. In July 2026, the International Telecommunication Union was STILL urging the US and Norway to secure compliance. The matter remained unresolved despite repeated decisions and appeals. The technology to switch terminals off exists. It was done in Ukraine but was not doen in Iran. The differentiating factor was SpaceX's cooperation. India can license Starlink, require local gateways, demand that Indian data stays in India and penalise violations. But India cannot itself operate the satellites, control their software or decide which terminals receive service. There are two risks here. Starlink could continue operating where India orders it switched off. Or it could stop working where India desperately needs connectivity. Imagine an Indian military unit or emergency response team depending on a network that can be disabled by decisions made outside India. I am not arguing that India should reject Starlink. Satellite internet offers genuine benefits, particularly in places with poor terrestrial connectivity. But India needs the ability to independently verify compliance, maintain alternative connections for critical users, and develop domestic satellite networks. Where fibre and mobile networks are viable, we should be investing in them too. The question is much bigger and more consequential than whether Musk should be allowed to compete with Ambani. Should India allow a foreign company to sell satellite internet? Certainly, subject to its laws. Should India's critical communications become dependent on that company? That's a very different decision.

India may need 100+ launches by 2030 to meet its national space goals—over 25 launches per year. But over the past decade, India has averaged about 5. That gap is demand India could use to build a competitive launch industry. My argument in The Orrery, linked in the comments.