The kill switch can’t sit abroad: Mittal on India’s space destiny

Bharti Airtel Founder and Chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal has said India must retain control of the "kill switch" for satellite communications operating on its soil, stressing that the country should not depend on a single foreign operator for critical connectivity.

"The kill switch, as we call it, should not be sitting somewhere else. India must have control over its own space destiny," Mittal said, marking Bharti Enterprises' 50th year.

The kill switch enables an operator or government to cut off, throttle or restrict satellite services in a region or across the country. Mittal said security clearances, in-country gateways and monitoring requirements would determine how quickly satellite broadband services could be launched in India.

Referring to Ukraine, he said, "If Ukraine is using Starlink, it's also using OneWeb now." He pointed to the disruption of satellite connectivity by SpaceX, which affected Ukrainian military operations.

"Warfare is moving to space. Whether it's drone or it's cyber issues, or indeed guided missiles and all, they're all going to be managed from space," he said.

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