Starlink row puts focus on India's heavy reliance on foreign tech infrastructure

UPDATE - follow-up to 'Musk punishes Ukraine: how exposed is India to foreign tech? | Explained': Elon Musk recently restricted the military-grade Starshield network provided by SpaceX to Ukraine following attacks on Russian oil infrastructure. This action highlights the risks for other nations using foreign technology, including India, where the government and industry have resisted Starlink's entry so far.

Satellite and Cloud Risks

The Indian government has licensed Starlink, Eutelsat OneWeb's Indian subsidiary, and Jio Satellite Communications for satellite communications, but none had received security clearance for commercial broadband by October 16. While India relies mostly on terrestrial networks and ISRO's communication satellites, its position is weak in satellite navigation. Minister of State for the Department of Space Jitendra Singh stated in Parliament on July 29 that only three NavIC satellites currently provide positioning, navigation, and timing signals, falling short of the four required for standalone service. In cloud computing, Gartner forecasts Indian spending to reach $17.5 billion in 2026 across AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud. Although the National Informatics Centre operates MeghRaj, and AWS partnered with Yotta for MeghRaj 2.0, foreign management dependencies remain.

Software and Payments

Open-source software adoption includes the Linux-based Bharat Operating System Solutions developed by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing. A defective update by U.S. firm CrowdStrike previously disrupted Windows computers worldwide, including Indian airlines and airports. In payments, the National Payments Corporation of India runs the Unified Payments Interface, providing independence from Visa and Mastercard, though consumer apps like Google Pay are foreign-controlled. Historic sanctions, such as U.S. restrictions after 1998 nuclear tests that blocked helicopter engine deliveries to Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd., show how foreign political decisions can disrupt procurement. SIPRI noted India was the world's second-largest arms importer from 2021 to 2025, with Russia supplying 40% alongside imports from France, Israel, and the U.S.

Context

Heavy reliance on foreign-controlled technology leaves critical national infrastructure vulnerable to external political pressures, corporate retaliations, or technical failures originating abroad. Countries therefore strive for homegrown alternatives across satellite navigation, cloud computing, and defence supplies to secure long-term strategic independence.