Untrusted Satcom: Imminent Dangers for Indian Tele-Education

India’s turn to foreign LEO satcom for tele-education advances connectivity goals but raises strategic, cyber, and governance concerns, highlighting the need for a resilient mix of indigenous satellite and fibre-based digital education infrastructure

Starlink India, the subsidiary of the global low-Earth-orbit internet service provider of the same name, has recently signed two non-formal, legally non-binding agreements with the state governments of Gujarat and Maharashtra. The underlying theme of the letters of intent is the use of Starlink’s last-mile connectivity to provide a telecommunications backbone for state school education programmes and to connect schools in remote districts within their respective jurisdictions. These initiatives align with the broader national objective of bridging the digital divide and narrowing the urban–rural gap, as well as the more specific goal of transforming classrooms in rural India into digital learning spaces. While these aspirations—and the efforts of these and other state governments—are commendable, the choice of the device intended to enable this transformation raises serious concerns.

Read the original and longer version of this Expert Speak on the Observer Research Foundation website through this weblink - https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/the-us-war-department-and-the-stem-recalibration