Ex-bureaucrat warns against government’s satellite spectrum allocation to Elon Musk’s Starlink

E.A.S. Sarma, a former Union government secretary, has raised serious concerns over the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) potentially granting satellite spectrum to foreign companies, particularly Elon Musk’s Starlink. In an open letter to Neeraj Mittal, the DoT secretary, Sarma warned that such a move could pose national security risks and violate transparency norms.

Sarma cautioned that allowing a foreign player like Starlink to access India’s satellite spectrum without a competitive process could have serious consequences. He pointed out Starlink’s connections to the U.S. military and highlighted its Starshield technology, which supports advanced military-grade features like radar, infrared missile detection, and optical surveillance. If permitted, he argued, Starlink could gain unrestricted access to personal and public data systems in India, with no legal barrier preventing the company from sharing or utilizing the data beyond Indian borders.

He also reminded the government of a previous letter he had written regarding the potential illegality of administratively allotting strategic satellite spectrum, especially to foreign entities. According to Sarma, bypassing the Supreme Court-mandated auction process for spectrum allocation could violate legal norms and undermine market transparency. He linked this issue to the landmark 2G spectrum case, where the Supreme Court emphasized fair competition and pricing through open bidding.

“I am shocked that the DoT is moving ahead with granting Starlink access to satellite spectrum without following the legally mandated auction process. This disregards economic principles and prevents fair price discovery of a valuable national resource,” Sarma stated in his letter.

Union telecom minister Jyotiraditya Scindia addressed the issue on November 12, stating that Starlink’s launch in India would be subject to recommendations from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), which is currently reviewing the matter.

Sarma urged the government to prioritize national interests and reserve satellite spectrum for strategic purposes, such as use by ISRO, the Indian defense forces, and state-run enterprises involved in critical communications. He warned that handing over such resources to foreign entities, particularly those linked to global powers, could open security loopholes and expose India’s sensitive communication networks to external threats.

Calling for caution, Sarma stressed that satellite spectrum should serve India’s strategic needs rather than commercial interests of foreign corporations.