Satellite network geopolitics—the other space race

• SpaceX’s recent partnerships with Airtel and Jio to expand Starlink services across India represent a shift in connectivity, national sovereignty, and economic power in the digital age.
• The deal provides economic benefits for both parties, allowing them to provide high-speed Internet to India’s remote regions without the infrastructure costs of terrestrial networks.
• The deal also opens up a huge market for SpaceX and addresses India’s complex regulatory landscape by channelling Starlink’s technology through domestic players.
• The choice of Starlink could indicate a geopolitical realignment in the Indo-Pacific region.
• Monopolistic concerns surrounding Starlink are not dismissed, as SpaceX enjoys first-mover advantages in the low earth orbit internet market.
• The “Digital Sovereignty” scenario, where nations have both profitable telecommunications and strategic independence, is a high economic value, high geopolitical control scenario.
• The “Market Dominance” scenario, where Starlink currently operates, offers tremendous commercial potential but places control largely outside the host nation’s hands.
• The “Strategic Asset” scenario, where India’s limited indigenous satellite capacity could be placed, is low economic value, high geopolitical control.
• The “Marginal Presence” context captures emerging players such as Amazon’s Kuiper project, offering limited strategic leverage.
• The absence of the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) from these partnerships could have reduced some of India’s strategic concerns.
• The technology evolution, challenges, and potential of these partnerships could establish a template for global Internet governance with geopolitical dimensions.
• The ultimate question remains whether satellite Internet will fulfill its promise of universal connectivity or reproduce existing digital divides in orbital form. Innovative sales techniques, such as tiered pricing models and package deals, would be needed.
• With the increasing attractiveness of satellite Internet, governance challenges will intensify, including orbital debris management and space traffic control.