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New Delhi: E.A.S. Sarma, former secretary to the Union government, has raised concerns in an open letter addressed to Neeraj Mittal, secretary of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), regarding the department’s recent steps toward administratively allotting satellite spectrum to foreign companies, specifically Elon Musk’s Starlink.
In his letter, Sarma highlighted the public interest risks of permitting foreign companies like Starlink to access satellite spectrum without a competitive process, noting the security implications tied to the company’s alleged connections with the US military. According to Sarma, Starlink’s satellite technology, branded as Starshield, possesses advanced capabilities for accommodating diverse payloads which include military-grade radar, infrared missile detection and optical surveillance systems. Given these capabilities, Sarma cautioned that any spectrum allocation to Starlink could risk exposing Indian data systems and sensitive communications infrastructure to foreign surveillance.
“It is important to understand that Starlink is not so much a means of satellite communication, but a time-tested reliable satellite bus technology that can accommodate various payloads as needed, including radars, optical cameras, and infrared (IR) missile launch signaling systems. It is obvious that the Pentagon is interested in getting the most it can out of the functionality provided by Starshield satellites,” he noted, referencing reports about the US defence department’s involvement with SpaceX’s Starlink. “Once allotted satellite spectrum, a foreign player like Starlink can have unlimited access to personal and public data systems in India, with no bar on the company using the same across geographic borders.”
Sarma refers to an earlier letter he wrote on the “illegality involved in the Department of Telecommunications (DOT) administratively allotting strategic satellite spectrum to telecom service providers, especially the public interest implications of allotting it to foreign players.”
He argues that the DoT’s actions bypass the auction-based allocation procedure, which was mandated by the Supreme Court to ensure transparency and fair market value in the allocation of spectrum, a highly valuable national resource. Sarma warned that circumventing this procedure could amount to contempt of court, undermining the transparency that the Supreme Court called for in its landmark 2G spectrum judgment.
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“I am surprised that the DOT should obstinately go ahead allowing Elon Musk’s Starlink to have access to satellite spectrum without going through the apex-court-prescribed transparent auction procedure… It defies all economic logic of discovering the price of a valuable natural resource like spectrum through competitive means,” wrote Sarma.
Union telecom minister Jyotiraditya Scindia announced on Tuesday, November 12, that the decision to launch Starlink would depend on recommendations from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), which was conducting a consultation process, according to a report in the Hindu.
Sarma’s letter also emphasised that allocating spectrum to foreign players, particularly those tied to foreign powers, could open doors to security vulnerabilities and misuse of data. “It will be prudent for DOT to reserve satellite spectrum for purely strategic purposes that subserve the national interest, such as use by ISRO, the Indian defence forces and CPSEs involved in strategic communications activity for such organisations,” he added.
Sarma appealed to the government to exercise caution and reserve this spectrum for strategic, nation-serving purposes.
