The Swadeshi Jagaran Manch (SJM), the economic wing of India’s Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), publicly demanded on 13 October that New Delhi block Starlink — the satellite broadband service owned by Elon Musk’s SpaceX — from entering the country. The call came in a statement from New Delhi by SJM National Co-Convenor Ashwani Mahajan, who said the service poses what Lokmat Times quoted him as describing as a “significant threat to national security.”
Key facts
- SJM asked the government to reject Starlink’s entry, citing national security, data protection and trade concerns, according to whalesbook.
- Starlink has applied for a licence to provide commercial broadband services in India; authorities have neither approved nor rejected the application, INDToday reports.
- He said unauthorised Starlink equipment has already been found at various locations inside India.
- INDToday notes the concerns represent SJM’s position and do not establish that Starlink has violated Indian law.
Why it matters
SJM is not a regulator, but whalesbook says the group has historically influenced policy on foreign entities in the Indian market, and that its demand signals the approval process for satellite providers will be scrutinised well beyond technical and legal requirements. Starlink’s licence application is still pending alongside domestic satellite bids.
One practical point none of the four outlets spells out: there is no Starlink service, retail availability or published price in India to ban. Clearance would require a Department of Telecommunications licence plus spectrum assignment, and until those are issued the company cannot lawfully sell a connection in the country — so SJM’s demand is aimed at a market entry that has not happened yet.
The laser-link objection
Mahajan’s central technical objection is Starlink’s use of laser-based links between satellites, which he says could bypass India’s designated internet gateways and send traffic abroad without Indian oversight. He said systems must ensure Indian data does not bypass required safeguards, and claimed the technology remained under testing, per INDToday. Lokmat Times, carrying an ANI report, framed the same point as domestic user data being transferred overseas without sovereign surveillance or oversight.
Whalesbook put a second version of the concern on record: that satellite internet could hinder the government’s ability to oversee data traffic or to implement internet shutdowns during security emergencies. That shutdown argument does not appear in the other reports.
Mahajan also told reporters, per INDToday and the Telugu daily Namasthe Telangana, that security worries about Starlink arise from experiences with satellite communication services in Ukraine, Iran, Russia, China, Taiwan, South Korea, Brazil, Venezuela and Sudan. Neither report says what actually happened in any of those nine countries, and no Indian authority is cited as having investigated them — the list stands as an unsubstantiated talking point rather than evidence.
Unauthorised terminals
Beyond the licensing question, Mahajan raised the presence of unauthorised Starlink terminals in the country. “There are apprehensions that if this technology falls into the hands of smugglers, terrorists, or other criminal elements, it could lead to serious national security and law-and-order issues,” he said in remarks published by Lokmat Times. None of the sources gives a count, location or date for the equipment, and none names an enforcement agency as the origin of the claim.
SJM versus Musk
Mahajan accused Musk of using a public forum to pressure — or, in his word, arm-twist — the Indian government over market access and approvals. INDToday reports the same accusation. Mahajan rejected Musk’s framing, saying India has consistently fostered competition in telecom and that this competition has given the country the cheapest data in the world.
Whalesbook adds that Musk has previously accused local “oligarchs” of deliberately delaying Starlink’s licence approvals to protect their market dominance, part of his running dispute with Reliance. The Indian government, according to the same report, maintains that its licensing and security vetting processes are objective, non-discriminatory and applied consistently to all applicants, including local telecom leaders.
SJM also said Starlink had not adequately addressed its national security concerns and was not accepting the conditions imposed by the government, INDToday reports. Namasthe Telangana carried the same account, adding that SJM said the technology Starlink uses has not been permitted either.
A think tank in the background
Lokmat Times links the demand to a research paper by the Kutniti Foundation, a Delhi-based think tank, titled “An appraisal of technology for geopolitical control.” The paper argues Starlink is not merely commercial but an instrument of US geopolitical influence, describing it as a “wolf in sheep’s clothing” and a dual-use asset tied to US defence and intelligence contracts. We covered the Kutniti Foundation paper separately.
Its warning on jurisdiction is blunt: any satellite network whose terminal-level control sits outside Indian jurisdiction is, in the paper’s words, a standing lever over Indian security decisions. The sources do not record a response from SpaceX or Starlink to the paper or to SJM.
What happens next
Whalesbook says investors and the industry are watching the Ministry of Communications for the next updates on security clearances and spectrum assignment rules, and that the upcoming satellite spectrum policy will dictate the competitive balance between foreign providers and domestic giants. It notes Reliance Industries, which operates Reliance Jio, and Bharti Airtel are pursuing their own satellite communications plans and have secured or are securing licences of their own. Starlink, it points out, is a division of SpaceX and is not listed on Indian stock exchanges.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you buy Starlink in India right now?
No. Starlink has no commercial service, retail availability or published Indian pricing, because its licence application has not been approved. Any terminal operating in the country today is doing so outside an authorised service, which is the basis of SJM’s unauthorised-equipment complaint.
What happened between Starlink and Brazil?
Lokmat Times, carrying an ANI report on the Kutniti Foundation paper, says Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court froze and later unfroze Starlink’s financial assets and bank accounts in 2024 following a legal dispute. The paper cites Brazil as an example of its claim that Starlink only complies with national rules when faced with coercion. Starlink’s response to that characterisation is not recorded in the sources.
How big is India’s space economy, according to the think-tank paper?
The Kutniti Foundation paper values India’s space economy at $8 billion, with a 2–3% share of the global space economy, as reported by Lokmat Times. It projects five-fold growth to $40–45 billion over the next decade and a target global share of 8% by 2030. The paper argues Starlink’s entry threatens that domestic New Space industry.
Are other foreign satellite internet providers also waiting on India?
Yes. Whalesbook reports that Eutelsat OneWeb is also seeking to expand its satellite internet footprint in India, and says the outcome of the Starlink dispute will likely set a precedent for other global players. It adds that the upcoming policy on satellite spectrum is the core issue for the industry.
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