Musk's Starlink may face curbs on satellite data routing in India

The government is unlikely to allow interlinked satellites for providing internet services as that allows data to bypass national borders, said people aware of the matter, posing a hurdle for Elon Musk’s Starlink, which uses the technology to channel traffic.

“The laser inter-satellite link (LISL) tech allows the new generation Starlink satellites to beam data directly to one another in space, forming a mesh network above earth, creating a unique security challenge,” said one of the persons.

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This could mean Indian data being routed through hostile jurisdictions or surveillance hubs before reaching its destination. The issue has been raised with satcom firms, including Starlink, and safeguards are being planned to ensure this doesn’t happen, the person said. “The older generation of Starlink satellites don’t have the laser link tech,” said another person. “For the newer ones, the laser links are likely to be disabled or heavily restricted for traffic routing involving Indian users.”

The SpaceX-owned company has been engaging with Indian authorities to allay fears over national security, besides demonstrating its tech to the security agencies last year. During meetings with stakeholders such as telcos and satellite firms, the issue of laser links and the potential surveillance and national security concerns had been highlighted. The government is taking a cautious approach toward Starlink’s security approval due to the threat potential.

The government is taking a cautious approach toward Starlink’s security approval due to the threat potential.

Starlink didn’t respond to queries.

The interlinked satellite system is controlled by SpaceX in the US, which allows the satcom firm to turn connectivity on and off remotely, said a third person, underscoring the serious nature of the concern.

“The tech was widely used during the Ukraine and West Asia wars, wherein the coverage was geofenced and modified by SpaceX remotely,” the person said. “Starlink has to programme its routing tables to ensure that any data packet originating from an Indian terminal must downlink to an Indian gateway. It won’t be allowed to jump to a foreign gateway.”

Companies planning to provide satcom services such as the Jio-SES satellite joint venture and Eutelsat Oneweb don’t use laser link technology, making Starlink the only player to be impacted. So far, the government has given satcom permits to these three firms while an application by Amazon Leo is being examined.

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To be sure, none of the three have got security clearance to start services. The first person cited said, “The company may be asked to clarify some more points.” Starlink is setting up gateways and control centres in India to comply with security regulations. The government is taking time to grant clearance given the painstaking nature of checking and auditing security compliance concerning the laser links, said the people cited.