Starlink India Entry Euphoria Vanishes into Questioning Clouds
Falcon delivers 21 Starlink satellites (Image credit X.com SpaceX)
Europe, Pacific Islands Work Out Starlink Alternatives
By Manish Anand
New Delhi, March 15: Euphoria over billionaire Elon Musk’s Starlink entry in India is now facing sharp probing questions. From Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw deleting his welcome post to Starlink, critics are asking for policy under which Airtel and Reliance Jio announced partnership with SpaceX.
Europe is working on option to replace service of Starlink. Campaigns are gaining steam to fast-track Europe’s own version of Starlink at earliest. Smitten by geopolitical upheavals after Donald Trump assumed US presidency, Europe seeks to unyoke American space communication services.
Analysts state that the Starlink services backed by satellites in the low earth orbits (LEO) are not exclusive to the US. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has placed several LEO satellites successfully in last decades.
The government’s opening up of the space for the private sector has nudged several private startups to venture into space communication businesses. Some of such ventures are even listed on the stock market. Indeed, SpaceX is way ahead of others as its 6750 LEO satellites map the world round the corners.
If the government opens up telecommunication services with space technology, there may be several indigenous companies and startups who can offer Indian avatars of Starlink. Besides, critics argue that Starlink by gaining Indian market can also lay its hands on mines of data of users from India. Besides, the government is currently in midst of 6G rollout.
Greens party in Germany are leading campaigns for expediting the European version of Starlink with own IRIS programme. The leaders of the party are calling for replacing Starlink in Europe with own IRSIS by 2029-30. The crux of arguments to replace Starlink with own services is that Europe can no longer trust the US with critical communication services.
Trump is courting Russian President Vladimir Putin apparently to partake in gains in the energy partnership. Europe and the US have also veered away on climate action. While the US is aligning with the Middle East and Russia to drill fossil fuels, Europe is championing the cause of clean energy.
European nations are wary of disruption in air traffic. There are almost 500 aircrafts who use services of Starlink. Maritime communication is a fiefdom of Starlink with 75000 ships as users.
Japan’s Nikkei Asia in a report cited the example of Pacific country Niue warned its “nearly 2,000 residents and Musk”. “Starlink is illegal on the island. Operating it comes with penalties, including a three-month stay in Niue’s prison,” said the Japanese media organisation.
It spotlighted the risk to huge investments made in the telecommunication sector from the services Starlink. Besides, there is a huge risk of concentration of power in ‘Big tech’.
Quoting Australian National University researcher Cynthia Mehboob, it said: “Implications for data security and privacy will become a big question, going forward, because you’ve got an entity like Musk with his whims, and you’ve got his very close connection to President Trump.”
The Japanese media in its deep dive into the operations of Starlink also cited the example of Vanuatuan authorities in the Pacific at one stage threatening to seize Starlink terminals at the border. “Tonga previously ordered the company to cease operations on its territory. Samoan authorities warned that Starlink posed risks to public safety, national security and the integrity of Samoa’s telecommunications infrastructure,” added Nikkei Asia.
Critics also wonder the impact on BSNL while the government still works out its revival plan. The government-owned BSNL is India’s communication strength in far flung areas.
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